Is it possible to act compassionately if our attention is on ourselves?

When we shift our attention to the reality around us, to our spouse, our car, the service station attendant, we see countless opportunities to care for others. But those who are most preoccupied with themselves suffer the most. They also fail to experience the satisfaction of attending to the needs of another.

We can witness eyes that scan reality for what they want, failing to see what they are being offered.

As long as we hold fast to our ideal of what we deserve from the world we blind ourselves to the gifts we are receiving.

When I narrow my vision to search for an ideal that my mind has created, life seldom complies. But when I broaden my vision to simply notice what life is offering, I find that I am surrounded by an abundance of care and support.

We notice the obstacles because we have to get around them to proceed. But what if we go through life only noticing obstacles, problems, and difficulties?

we can repeatedly observe the mechanics of a mind that is rarely satisfied with what it has at the moment because it is always yearning for some manufactured ideal.

Accept your fear, anxiety, and concerns about this gift and consummate your marriage anyway. Your worries have no real power over you. Like the clouds in the sky, they come and go but they do not prevent the grass from growing.”

Over the years she has trained her mind to focus on the gap between her ideal of the world and her reality.