Opening our living room blinds this morning, I saw a mini disaster outside. Yet my wife, Hisami, just saw love. So what was happening?
On our balcony, just outside the office where Hisami works, we have beautiful white tiles, some nice trees, and a little statue. It’s a small oasis we call Allen Park, and during the day when we’re working, it feels peaceful, like we’re in nature rather than in the middle of Tokyo.
Recently, we noticed the tiles were starting to buckle, and one of the planters was getting wobbly. A few days ago, one of the planters actually fell over, and the tree was up against the window. I realized it was time to do some maintenance. So I went out, intending to just push the planter back, but I found the roots had grown underneath. I pulled up all the tiles, moved everything aside, cleaned up the roots that were getting into the foundation, and left it that way so things could dry out before putting the tiles back and making it look nice again.
But today, when I looked outside, all I saw was an unfinished project. I saw lack—ugly black bottoms of the tiles where I usually see the pretty white tops, things in disarray, and the dirty part I had exposed under the tiles. I felt a little guilty because I knew Hisami works here every day and feels inspired and relaxed when she sees the beautiful balcony.
So I went inside and said, “Sorry about the disaster on the balcony. I’ll get it cleaned up in another day or two. It looks like things are drying out now.”
Hisami gave me a curious look and said, “Oh, I never saw a disaster out there. I just saw love.”
She explained, “I saw that you're healing the balcony, taking care of the house, and fixing a problem. You’re putting your attention, care, and love into restoring things to a beautiful, sustainable state. I just saw love.”
I was really surprised. It was just one more example of how the Material Mind focuses on lack and guilt. I saw things weren’t as good as they could be and felt guilty for not fixing them sooner, whereas Hisami had a completely different perspective. She saw the exact same scene—things in disarray, not as beautiful as usual—but all she saw was the loving intention behind my efforts.
She sees the big picture without judgment, only with love.
This is why we say in our Spirit Mind training, when you’re feeling guilty or like something is out of place, ask yourself, “Which mind is this?” Had I asked myself that in the moment, I would’ve realized it was my Material Mind focusing on lack and scarcity. And then, I would’ve been able to shift to my spirit mind, seeing things from a perspective of love and fullness.
Hisami’s perspective immediately made me feel good. Her view of the situation—seeing love instead of a disaster—helped me shift into that same state of love. And, of course, I’ll still go out and fix the balcony too.
