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After learning yesterday evening that Steve Jobs was resigning as Apple’s CEO, I was saddened. Not so much because I worry that Apple will crumble without Jobs at the helm. Instead, it was because the resignation marked the point where it is clear that his health is not getting better.

I don’t know Steve Jobs. I’ve never met him, talked to him, emailed with him. If I’ve been in the same room or airport with him, I don’t know it. I don’t think he walks on water. The many stories that he can be hard to work for have a consistent kernel of truth to them.

Still, I can’t dispute the fact that Steve Jobs has had a big impact on my life. Life changing? Perhaps. Steve Jobs was the driving creative force behind the Macintosh. I bought my first one in the fall of 1984 as a freshman at the University of Notre Dame–one of the members of the University Consortium that gave faculty and staff a bit of a break on the price. That Mac got me through college, and with an upgrade to a Mac Plus, through law school. During those years, I got to know the Mac inside and out.

It was my knowledge of the Macintosh, in part, that landed me my first law job–clerking for a lawyer in Indianapolis who in 1990 thought bucking the trend of the IBM PC juggernaut was more his style. That job led to me working on a case at the Supreme Court of the United States and sitting in the courtroom during the oral argument. My parents were rather proud to see their son walking down the Supreme Court steps on the CBS Evening News, accompanying the lawyers who handled the case. It’s one of those iconic shots that lawyers dream of. Hell, I hadn’t even graduated from law school at that point! (My next courtroom appearance was a small claims court in the basement of the City-County Building in Indianapolis, so I can say my legal career has seen the highest and lowest courts.)

While all of that is cool, the thing I appreciate most about Steve Jobs’s work is simply that I’ve really enjoyed using the products he pushed Apple to make. The Macintosh. The iPod. The iPhone. The iPad. Back in the late 1980s, Apple described the Macintosh as “the bicycle for the mind.” The idea was that the Macintosh was a simple tool that allowed the mind to travel farther. Looking back, I think the iPad is probably the true bicycle for the mind. The Macintosh has always been a great computer operating system, but it predated the Internet and the World Wide Web. (A side note: I can still recall in 1993 using a dial-up modem at probably 28.8Kbps and being frustrated that someone at Notre Dame had decided it as a good idea to email everyone a copy of Mosaic–the first web browser. It took what seemed like forever to download.)

In much of the commentary flying around the Web today, there is another part of Steve Jobs’s work that is being ignored: Pixar. Jobs helped make Pixar into the ass-kicking animation studio that it is today. I’ve had a lot of laughs watching Pixar films, and I love that my young son is discovering Monsters, Inc., Toy Story, and Cars.

One commentator today had a point that is well taken: (paraphrasing here) “1. He’s not dead. 2. Apple has a plan. 3. Calm the f*** down.” All of that is true. While I’m sad that Steve’s health is failing and making it impossible for him to be Apple’s CEO, I’m glad he’ll be chairman of the board for a while. As long as Steve is around, there will be more exciting things ahead. I expect those will continue even after Steve leaves Apple completely. So long as there are people at Apple who can dream of great products, and others who will insist that they be made as beautiful things, and others who insist on making them “perfect,” Apple will be just fine. Steve Jobs has set the example for his successors to follow.

Still, there’s no doubt that yesterday’s announcement marks a big milestone. Steve Jobs has had an effect on the world like few other individuals. I don’t think it’s unfair to place him in the pantheon of people like Walt Disney. The announcement gives us an opportunity to reflect on what Steve has done for us, and to show a little appreciation.

So, if Steve Jobs happens to stumble across this, I’ll simply say this: Thanks, Steve. It’s been a great ride so far, and I can’t wait to see the next “…one more thing” from you.

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