Learning from animals-the "Guardians of Being"

Every year, about this time, I get a serious case of Spring Fever.  Who wants to be inside when it's warm & sunshine-y and things are blooming?  Even though I've spent today, knocking items off the to-do list, my heart just really wants to sit outside and breathe in the warm air.  I want to roll out my mat and practice yoga in the grass.
What's kind of fun is that our dog seems to have Spring Fever, too!  (Yep-that's her in the picture...with mud on her nose from burying a bone)  Saturday morning, when we were trying to sleep in, she was WIDE AWAKE.  She bounded into the bedroom, walked over to the bed and licked my nose!  That got me up, to let her out at 6:30 am.  But then she barked, so I let her back in.  But then she bothered me, so I put her back out.  Then she barked.  This went on for hours.  She was so excited, and it must've just been Spring in the air.
A few months ago, one of my sweet yoga students, Sharon, gave me a book by Eckhart Tolle and Patrick McDonald, entitled, Guardians of Being:  Spiritual teachings from our dogs and cats.  That book makes me smile each time I look at it, so I wanted to share an excerpt with you:
"It's wonderful to watch an animal, because an animal has no opinion of itself.  It is.  That's why the dog is so joyful and why the cat purrs.  When you pet a dog or listen to a cat purring, thinking may subside for a moment and a space of stillness arises within you, a doorway into Being.  The vital function that pets fulfill in this world hasn't been fully recognized.  They keep millions of people sane."
If you have an animal that's driving you crazy with Spring Fever, don't get angry.  Breathe.  And enjoy them.  You've been blessed with a true friend, who can show you how to live in the moment.