Every moment of every day we have the choice as to where to place our awareness and focus. Your life will reflect the result of that choice.

Let’s say you feel unhappy with your spouse, as an example. Your focus is upon a disappointment – for instance, he spends too much time away from home at work. Your awareness is that he is not behaving in a way that pleases you; you prefer to have more time to spend with him. And so you remind your husband each time he returns home that he has displeased you by being away. You complain that he “is never home.” Your focus is on the lack – the absence. That has been your choice.

This is the equivalent of placing all your attention on the weeds in your garden. You take time to pull them, complain about them, and find ways to prevent them. In the process, you are not aware that your flowers are dying for lack of nutrients. The vegetable seeds you planted are struggling to sprout because they don’t have enough water. All of your attention is going to the weeds.

When your attention is turned instead to the positive, to nurturing your growing things, how much richer can your life be? When you greet your returning husband with joy, focusing on the fact that he is now, in this moment, present with you, and all of the goodness that can bring, how would your relationship change? When you express your appreciation for all the good things in your relationship, you are providing the nutrients for your garden to grow.

We have the choice of where we invest our time and energy. May we focus on the good and nourish our relationships.