Today's Gift: Choosing Focus

Today's thought from Hazelden is:

Choice of attention - to pay attention to this and ignore that - is to the inner life what choice of action is to the outer. In both cases, a man is responsible for his choice and must accept the consequences.
--W. H. Auden

Many of us have said, "I can't help myself!" when we tried to stop our constant thinking about other people or their behavior. "I know it's not good for me, but what can I do when they keep acting that way?"

Let us think of ourselves as living in a house with many windows. At each window is a different view, and within each view are many things to catch our attention -- perhaps there are some people, some traffic, some buildings, a horizon, and some trees. If we always go to the same window and focus on the same object, we are not using all our choices. We may have overlooked some things in our lives that need attention. There are many things we are totally powerless over. Our power exists in changing the focus of our attention.

Today, I will notice where I am choosing to pay attention. I pray for guidance in being aware of my options.

You are reading from the book:

Touchstones by Anonymous

Touchstones ©1986, 1991 by Hazelden Foundation. All rights reserved. Printed in the United States of America. No portion of this publication may be reproduced in any manner without the permission of Hazelden.

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wheresthemoon.com sez:

DAILY FIX

This site contains material that may be considered eerily profound or hysterically funny
by some viewers. Parental discretion is advised.

24 october

Don't be spooked.

It's time to see ghosts.


But not the Halloween kind......

The dark of the Moon

is all about relationships.

The past ones.

All the people who have passed


before your eyes,

touched your heart,

escaped and disappeared,

the ones you've left,

the ones who have left you,

the ones you've ensnared


the ones who have trapped you,

those with whom you have shared

a spiritual bond

and deep connection,

who have given you happiness

or caused you sorrow.

As the ghosts reappear.