In This Issue

A Note from James
Favorite Letter of the Month: Frances Worries About Me
Dogspirational Quote
Maui’s Top 5 Relaxation Tips
Paws Up, Paws Down
All Is Well When You Do This

A Note from James

Aloha Dog Lover,

September blew by, didn’t it? As my birthday month, October, draws closer and closer, I find myself becoming more and more grateful.

That’s because I made a commitment to marriage on September 8, and I’m so happy about it, and that happiness grows every day.

But I made another commitment, too: to peace and relaxation. And that commitment was unexpected, and very useful. Here’s why.

I learned something on my honeymoon that I didn’t know before: I have a habit of making stress out of peace. I’m not as “zen” as I think I am!

I’d heard that from friends and loved ones, on occasion. But I just really realized it for myself on my honeymoon.

There I was, at a full-service Hawaiian resort. Lazing by the pool, swimming with the dolphins, no schedule, no agenda, no worries … but I kept finding reasons to get stressed out.

One morning I spent an hour agonizing about whether to have breakfast at 9am or 10am. Molly listened patiently for a long time before she picked up Maui and said “It doesn’t matter when we eat.” Then she started howling like a wolf. Maui joined her.

I don’t know whether the neighbors heard or not (we didn’t get any complaints). But without that howling from the two most important women in my life, I would probably not have come to my senses.

I spent the rest of the day noticing that I look for opportunities to get stressed out - even when I have absolutely nothing to do but listen to a good book on tape.

Thank God I had Maui with me. She spent the week showing me how to relax and enjoy life even more deeply - and has continued to do so since we came back home to Maui.

So this newsletter’s theme is “Don’t Worry, Be Happy, and Definitely Don’t Get Stressed Out If You Don’t Have To.”

It’s a hard lesson for me to learn, but I’m ready to dive in. I hope you will join me!

Warm Aloha,
James Jacobson
Creator, Do You Remember Love?
Author, How to Meditate with Your Dog
Creator, Paws Up Paws Down

Favorite Letter of the Month: Frances Worries About Me

Dear James,

I enjoy reading your messages and I think both of you [James and Molly] must be very special people and I will contact the Oprah show.

My biggest concern is Maui’s age. She won’t be around forever and I just hope James is prepared for this happening. I guess he could be like the dogs and live in the moment.

He seems so attached to her, more so than some people with their animals. I just hope he has everything in perspective and has prepared himself somewhat.

Congrats on the nuptials!

Frances M.

Dear Frances,

Your letter brought up a lot for me. Not only is Maui advancing in age (she’ll be 15 in November), but she’s been less than healthy for years now. You raise the exact question that I come up against when I am in my most anxious moments:

“How will I possibly live without Maui?”

I have had people tell me that I’m too attached to her, and that I should pull back on my feelings. It makes sense, in a way - if I don’t get “too attached” I won’t be as sad when she’s gone.

But in my experience, the opposite is true. In 2005 my father passed, after a harrowing four month battle with lung cancer. I dropped everything else and spent those months getting as close to him as possible. It was like we squeezed decades of communication into those few weeks.

When the inevitable happened, I felt drained and terribly sad. I probably still haven’t quite gotten over it. But on the other hand, I didn’t feel regretful. My father left this life knowing how much I loved him, and having told me how much he loved me. When I was a kid it was harder for him to express himself, so I feel lucky to hear him say it.

Maui doesn’t have any problem expressing her love for me - one of the blessings of being a dog - and I feel lucky to have had 14+ years with her close to my heart.

But no, I don’t know how I can prepare for her leaving. How could I? She’s still here. I literally can’t imagine it.

But yes, I know it will happen. And I assume it will be very sad. I’ve never had a dog before Maui. I didn’t even have any other pets as a kid. So I don’t know how one “gets over” the loss of a pet.

I dread that day when she is gone. But I have to “live in the moment,” as you put it, right now, not just when she’s gone. So I’m going to go cuddle her now, and maybe do a little howling. She only howls when she’s happy, after all.

Here’s the video:

Thank you for writing, Frances. You sparked an excellent question, and I appreciate your sweet concern for me. When that times comes, I’m sure I will be writing about how it goes. Until then … I’m just howling with my dog.

Warmest Aloha,

James

Dogspirational Quote

“Dogs are our link to paradise. They don’t know evil or jealousy or discontent. To sit with a dog on a hillside on a glorious afternoon is to be back in Eden, where doing nothing was not boring - it was peace.”
- Milan Kundera

Maui’s Top 5 Relaxation Tips

Maui really wants us all of us to sloooooooow down in October. The holiday season is coming, and it’s good to enter into it with a relaxed, open attitude, not a stressed out one. So here are her Top 5 Relaxation Tips:

Tip #1: Lap at your water bowl.

Maui likes to hang out with me in my office during the day, but I’ve noticed that she heads upstairs frequently to get a drink from her water bowl. To save her the trip, I put another bowl down here, which she appreciates. She likes to drink a lot of water to keep herself hydrated and happy. Without enough water, you may pant with thirst, beg for too many treats (overeat), get itchy and dry under your fur, feel like a sluggish puppy, bark at the pain in your head, or get a cramp in your paws.

Tip #2: Shake it off.

Shaking yourself from head to toe may look silly, but it sure feels great. Dogs do this to “reset” themselves. It puts the nervous system back on “all systems go” and the muscles and bones in their proper places. Try it, I guarantee it will help.

Tip #3: Wag your tail.

No matter what is going on in your life, the most important thing is to honor others. Maui always takes the time to properly greet others. Just today our friend Ramon came over, and she woke up from a nap to lick his face when he picked her up for a cuddle. Then she promptly fell back asleep.

Tip #4: Take naps.

A short snooze can be the difference between a bad mood and a contented one. Taking even five minutes to drift off can reboot your brain and emotions. My friend Phoebe, a great dog lover, takes her cue from her pooches and curls up underneath her desk at work for a short nap every afternoon. Most of her coworkers have never even noticed - it just looks like she’s stepped out for coffee!

Tip #5: Hound lounge.

Hound lounging is the canine version of meditation. She likes to stare off into space and zone out for a bit, just focusing on her breathing. I do, too. Ten minutes to start the day, and everything just works better. If you want to learn more about this practice, it’s the basis of my book: How to Meditate with Your Dog

Paws Up, Paws Down
I have been having a blast rating dogs at http://pawsuppawsdown.com. There are some real cuties there. Go check it out now:

http://pawsuppawsdown.com

All Is Well When You Do This

As much help as Maui has given me, sometimes I need to help her. That’s when I turn to the incredible knowledge bank at DogProblems.net. Check them out:

http://dogproblems.net

Aloha, Dog Lovers,

I have so much to say thank you for.

I almost don’t know how to begin.

I have a photo to share below, but first, a thank you (or two, or three).

First Thank You:
I thought my wedding was going to be a “small” affair - just a beach ceremony and an intimate dinner with friends - but it didn’t feel that way. We and all 8 of our guests on September 8 felt the presence of, as one guest put it, “legions of angels.”

I know those angels were you all, sending your special thoughts, prayers, and well wishes our way.

Thank you for attending our wedding, if only in spirit.

Second Thank You:
To all of you who sent ecards, emails, and left messages on our main phone number - WOW!! I can’t get over the outpouring of love and support. My assistant, Crystal, faxed me several of your letters, and Molly and I read out loud to each other on our wedding morning.

Thank you for sending your blessings.

Third Thank You:
Many of you emailed to say that you filled out Oprah’s book survey and recommended How to Meditate with Your Dog as a wedding gift (as my smart wife requested on my behalf) at

http://www.oprah.com/sur/book_sur.html.

I am so excited about this! If I get on Oprah, it will definitely be because of your efforts. I will have to do something very special to thank you all - do you think Oprah has room in her studio for 2 million people?

Fourth Thank You:
To Maui, who made all of this possible. She acts like it’s really easy to love and be loved, and I’m glad to have her as my heart’s teacher.

The wedding was absolutely magical, as was the honeymoon. I cannot imagine how they could have been improved.Maui was very excited, and happy all week, although she did find the hotel room a little bit confusing at first. She couldn’t find her water bowl or bed for the first few days.

I know she was happy because her body felt so relaxed whenever we picked her up. I also know because my friend Alecia did an intuitive reading for Maui (she’s an animal intuitive and wellness expert) just before we left.

She said Maui has loved Molly for a long time, and that she is very happy to have her become her official Mom. Don’t I know it!

Warm Aloha,
and as we say in Hawaii, Mahalo (thank you),
James

PS: That Oprah link still works. If you would like to fill out the book survey for Oprah as a wedding gift to the three of us, the link still works (I just checked it).
http://www.oprah.com/sur/book_sur.html.

Thank you in advance.

If you haven’t yet picked up the book, it’s available on Amazon. If you have already read it but haven’t written a review on Amazon, your opinion really helps future readers to get the book with confidence. I would love for you to review the book on Amazon:

How to Meditate with Your Dog

Finally, watch a video I posted on Amazon using my new webcam - it includes little Maui:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/customer-reviews/RRS90DV6XSNMX/105-3457794-1684400?ie=UTF8&videoPreplay=1/ref=meditationinf-20

Mahalo, Mahalo, Mahalo,
JJ

Dear Dog Lovers,

This is Molly, James’ fiancée (soon to be wife :). I asked James if I could write to you directly, and he said OK. I hope it is OK with you, too.

Crystal, James’ assistant, has been passing along thousands of emails from all of you wishing us well for our wedding on Saturday.

James has been reading them aloud to me, and we are both overwhelmed with joy. I feel so blessed.

(I already felt blessed to be marrying James - my true soul mate! - but this is just amazing, to have so many people wishing us well. What a great thing to hear just before we leave!)

I fell in love with James after reading his book “How to Meditate with Your Dog”

… long before I met him in person. I am so lucky to be with such a tender-hearted man.

Becoming Maui’s Mom over the last few years has been a soul-and-heart-opening experience.

She has taught me to love and trust in a way that I never thought I needed to learn

I’m so amazed by her ability to inspire love in others - over 2 million people who’ve seen the movie about her and the thousands who have read about her in the book.

None of us would be reading this - and I wouldn’t be writing this - if it weren’t for Maui and the love she shares with James. She brought us together.

In your emails, many of you have asked what you can get us for a gift. We are so blessed already, and there is nothing material that we need.

But there is something nonmaterial and while James is waaaaaaaay too nervous to ask this, I can: he really would like Oprah to read his book and feature it on her show.

A friend told us yesterday that Oprah is polling her audience for their favorite books, and for the books they are really excited about reading soon. I immediately went to this link and filled out her little survey with James’ book “How to Meditate with Your Dog.”

www.oprah.com/sur/book_sur.html

I told James that he should ask you to fill out the survey, too, as a wedding gift. But he’s doing a lot of “shaking off”of nerves today. He didn’t feel he could write, he was too nervous

So I am asking you, instead. I cannot think of a better, more meaningful, more amazing wedding gift than helping James’ book reach Oprah’s massive audience.

James’ lifetime goal is to for everyone in the world to meditate for ten minutes a day (not just dog lovers!). Can you imagine if Oprah’s audience heard about that, and actually started doing it? She is such an incredible person, such a role model for both of us.

And Oprah is as much of a dog lover as we are!!! Have you ever heard her talk about her dogs? I think she might tie James in an “I-love-my-dog” contest.

So if you want to give us a wedding gift, here is the link:
www.oprah.com/sur/book_sur.html

I’m so proud of James and of Maui, and I’m so looking forward to our little ceremony on Saturday. It feels like you will be there, too, which is tremendously meaningful. Almost overwhelming.

Thank you so much in advance, and thank you for your well wishes. I’m crying as I write this, but they are tears of joy. I’ll go cuddle with Maui for a while to calm down.

What a lovefest this is!

Much Aloha, Peace, and Love,

Molly Theriault
soon to be Molly Jacobson
Mom-to-Be of Maui Valentine Jacobson
Maui, Hawaii

PS: Again, thank you for your beautiful, heartfelt letters. So many of you are going through happy times, like we are.
And so many of you are going through some really tough times. Every day when James and I meditate we send every one of you good thoughts, prayers, and lots of love.

PPS: The link to give us the wedding gift of getting on Oprah with “How to Meditate with Your Dog” and “Do You Remember Love” is this:

www.oprah.com/sur/book_sur.html

I’m so excited!!!!!! This means so much to James.

PPPS: Crystal asked me to remind you: if you haven’t read the book, Amazon has it:
tinyurl.com/bc7el