Everything I Learned About Life I Learned From Potter
These last few weeks have been incredibly sad for me. But every day is getting a tiny bit better, the DVR in my brain still wants to replay the video of that moment I ran out to the street to find him laying on his side. It's not rendering me breathless and sobbing as it did the first few days after his accident, but it still brings tears to my eyes. We are unlearning the habits we had with him, even though we really don't want to have to learn how to live without him. I wrote this blog entry to turn my sadness into something positive. He added so much to our lives and to the lives of everyone who knew him. He was loved by many and I want to return the love that so many have shown to him by sharing all the life lessons he's ever taught me.
1. Tell your people that you love them every day. Potter had a way of looking at us, especially Todd, with so much love in his eyes that we always knew it. This was the day we brought him home and from day one Potter looked at Todd with his expression of pure love.
2. Be selective about who you associate with. Potter kept his circle small, and new people had to work hard to enter his circle. But once you were in, see #1. Todd was Potter's main person, and this picture exemplifies who Potter was. His only purpose in life was to be close to me and Todd.
3. It’s OK to tell people you don’t want them to touch you. Potter didn’t like his sides or back touched for too long. If he didn’t want you to touch him, he wasn’t shy about saying so.
4. It’s OK to be scared, and when you are it’s OK to admit you are scared and ask for help. Potter hated thunderstorms and fireworks. He was never shy about jumping into our laps and burying his head into someone’s neck until the scary thing was over.
5. Always opt to go places with your people. He loved a car ride, a boat ride or a hike. He never wanted to be left at home. If we were chilling at home and one of us got up he would always follow us to see if he could “help” in some way. He was Todd’s constant shadow.
6. When given the chance to swim always say yes. Jump in and make a big splash. He loved to swim, especially with us. If he was in the water without us he’d always try to get us to join him.
7. If you are patient good things will happen. He always waited patiently knowing that Todd would share a snack with him. If we stood at the back of the boat long enough we would eventually tell him he could jump in. Rarely did he jump in with out us saying it was OK first, which was really the perfect thing to have in a boat dog.
8. When your people come home, smile at them. He used to bare his teeth when we came home in a big Chessie smile.
9. When your people are sad or not feeling well, hug them or lay along side them and press yourself up against them so they know that they aren’t alone. Potter was an epic cuddler, whenever I was feeling sad he would flop down next to me and let me squeeze him tight. And it always made me feel better to run my fingers through his fur. I have sorely missed this these last few weeks.
10. Kiss your people good night every night before bed. Potter used to practically make out with us before we settled down to sleep every single night.
11. Learn a different language. Potter loved to learn, so I started teaching him Polish commands after he learned all the English ones. He had about a half dozen commands in Polish.
12. It’s OK to say that you are good at something. Potter learned a lot of skills through a lot of training with Todd, and he loved to show off all of the things he knew how to do.
BJ Knapp is the author of Beside the Music, available for purchase here. Please sign up for the Backstage with BJ Knapp mailing list to get updates on events, signings, dog pictures and so much more.
added on 10.23.21