In “Rapt: Attention and the Focused Life”, Winifred Gallagher calls attention the “cranial laser.”

She writes that “a rare convergence of insights from both neuroscience and psychology suggests a paradigm shift in how to think about this cranial laser….Like fingers pointing to the moon, other diverse disciplines from anthropology to education, behavioral economics to family counseling, similarly suggest that the skillful management of attention is the sine qua non of the good life and the key to improving virtually every aspect of your experience, from mood to productivity to relationships.”

Elsewhere in the book, she give us a powerful message — “All day long, you are selectively paying attention to something….indeed, your ability to focus on this and suppress that is the key to controlling your experience and, ultimately, your well-being.”

The last line of the poem “Yes! No!” ( published in Mary Oliver’s book “Owls and Other Fantasies: Poems and Essays”) reads: “To pay attention, this is our endless and proper work.”

Peace 😊