I really want to say how this animal touched our souls and taught us some of the important lessons of our lives. A person can learn a lot from a dog. About living each day with unbridled exuberance and joy, about seizing the moment and following your heart. To appreciate the simple things-a walk in the woods, a fresh snowfall, a nap in the shaft of winter sunlight. As they grow old and achy, they teach me about optimism in the face of adversity. Mostly they teach you about friendship and selflessness and, above all else, unwavering loyalty.
It is an amazing concept that we only then in the wake of their death fully absorbing them as mentor. As a teacher and a role model. Is it possible for a dog-any dog, to point humans to the things that really mattered in life? I believe it is. Loyalty, Courage, Devotion, Simplicity, Joy, and the things that did not matter too. A dog has no use for fancy cars or big homes or designer clothes. Status symbols mean nothing to them. A waterlogged stick will do just fine. A dog judges others not by their color or creed or class but by who they are inside. A dog doesn't care if you are rich or poor, educated or illiterate, clever or dull. Give them your heart and they will give you their's. It is really quite simple, and yet we humans, so much wiser and more sophisticated, have always had trouble figuring out what really counts and what does not. It is all right in front of us if we only open our eyes. Sometimes it takes a dog with pure intentions to help us see.
> From the book: Marley and Me
Author:John Grogan
