Two good friends of mine, Jay Forte and Jeff Appelbaum, are celebrating their anniversary together. They wrote a beautiful tribute to love on their Facebook page. I was so touched and inspired by this life-affirming vision of love that I asked their permission to post it, which they granted to me.
Skipping Across the Rainbow Bridge
“Jack” was the name chosen by someone long before us.
However, when we rescued him from the shelter, we figured, “Why not? We might as well keep the name.” His moniker morphed strangely to “Jackpot,” slid into “Pot-Pot,” and eventually just — embarrassingly enough — “Pot.” I usually called him “Big Puppy.”
Being older, Jack had “issues.”
Boy howdy, did he have issues! We didn’t seek out a dog that needed 24-hour attention, but we got one. Within a week of his “gotcha” day, we discovered he had hypersensitive skin, causing him to chew and scratch at his sides so much, he would bleed. To prevent self-mutilation, we stumbled upon the idea of adorning him in toddler-sized T-shirts. Since Mini-human clothing is not designed for Mini Schnauzers, we had to put the shirts on backwards – with the design facing up instead of down. Securing them so he didn’t trip, while still providing freedom to “do his business,” he was the most “stylin’” dog in town. Eventually, he acquired a complete wardrobe of emblazoned with super hero motifs, holiday fashions, and our favorite, inscribed, “Mommy’s Little Monster” in stark white letters. Beyond soothing his skin, we’re sure he liked them because after every walk (when we had to remove his shirt to attach his leash), he’d wait for us to re-dress him.
A never-ending source of noises was our Big Puppy.
He didn’t bark much (unless he saw another dog) but he grunted, groaned, licked, chewed, yawned, and exhaled loudly without end. He also broke wind – constantly, always a source of confusion to him, causing him to spin mid-step, seeking the source of the rear-end disruption.
What most people remember was that he “skipped.”
Because his hind legs were too close together and he had scoliosis (did I say he had “issues?”) his rear feet bumped each other when he walked, causing him to hop, giving the appearance he was skipping down the street. It didn’t slow him down, but did provide the funniest impression of a Fred-Astaire-Singing-in-the-Rain upbeat gait as he strolled down the avenue. Ironically, it was spot-on; he actually was happiest in those moments.
Sunday was our last walk.
Think Smaller for Better Results
Note: We recently launched of a seminar series, “Five Things You Must Know To Make Your Life Better.” As part of that series, one of the things we went over were the “10 Commandments of Changing Habits.” This is one of those “commandments.”
Thou shalt think smaller
You have made the process of changing too big and too complicated. You created your life in small, almost invisible steps. That is the way you will change it.
It sucks, but it’s true.
Don’t Expect Gurantees of Success
Note: We recently launched of a seminar series, “Five Things You Must Know To Make Your Life Better.” As part of that series, one of the things we went over were the “10 Commandments of Changing Habits.” This is one of those “commandments.”
Expect not guarantees of success.
Setting goals does not guarantee you will get to have the results you want.
However, NOT setting them does guarantee that you will stay where you are.
Time is Out of Your Control
Note: We recently launched of a seminar series, “Five Things You Must Know To Make Your Life Better.” As part of that series, one of the things we went over were the “10 Commandments of Changing Habits.” This is one of those “commandments.”
Thou shalt accept time is out of thy control.
The process will take more time than you want and it will be more complicated than you prefer – but it will neither take as long as, nor will it be as difficult as you fear.
Conversely, it will feel far better than you expect when you “arrive.”


