I find it humorous sometimes that even the most mundane occurrences can have an impact on our awareness.

My wife， my daughter and I moved into our home nine years ago and we spent a lot of time and energy in the yard to get it looking like it does today. We live on a corner， higher than street level， and the entire side of the yard is encased by a professionally built rock wall. The front of the house though is another story because instead of a wall along the sidewalk， the rocks appear to be just thrown up onto the dirt as if someone were in a hurry to finish.

We did the best we could with what we had to work with and called this area our “rock garden”. Whenever we had leftover flowers or plants， Denise or I would stick them out front， just to bring some color to the area.

I still do all of my own yard work， even the dreaded weed-pulling. After putting on my kneepads， I assume the position to clear the yard of weeds， even in the rock garden.

Last summer， I had reached the end of the rock garden and found a tiny little plant that I could not immediately identify. I knew I didnt plant it and Denise claimed that she didnt either. We decided to let it continue growing until we could figure out what it was.

Weeks passed and as I made my way back to the mystery plant， it appeared to be a sunflower. It was spindly looking with a tall skinny stalk and only one head on it. I decided to baby it along and weed around it. As I pulled rocks from the area to get to the weeds， I noticed something unusual. The sunflower had not started where I saw the stalk begin. It actually had begun under a big rock and grown under and around it to reach the sun.

Thats when I realized that if a tiny little sunflower didnt let a big rock stand in its way of developing， we too have the capability of doing the same thing. Once our environment begins to see that we believe in ourselves like that little sunflower， we can attain the same nourishment and nurturing as well.

First， we need to believe in ourselves knowing we have the capabilities in achieving our desires. Like the sunflower， it knew it had the capability to overcome its obstacle because it trusted in the universal truth and had faith it would succeed.

Stand tall like the sunflower and be proud of who and what you are and the environment will begin to support you. You will find a way to go under or around your big obstacle in order to reach your desires.

我發(fā)現(xiàn)生活有時挺詼諧的，即使是最平凡的事情也能影響我們的認知。

我和我妻子、女兒在九年前搬進了我們住的家，而且我們付出了很多的時間和精力使得我們的院子看上去像現(xiàn)在這個樣子。我們一家住在一個比街道的水平面高一些的角落里，院子的周圍被堆砌得很專業(yè)的石墻包圍著。然而房子的前面是卻是另一副樣子，因為沿著人行道這些石塊似乎被匆忙建造在泥地上而不是砌成一面墻，就像是有人匆匆忙忙草率完成的。

我們盡我們最大的努力去做我們必須做的事，而且我們把這個地方叫作“石頭花園”。每當我們有多余的花或者樹時，我或者德妮絲就會把它們移到房前，給這個地方帶來一些色彩。

我仍然做我自家院子的所有勞動，甚至是令人畏懼的拔草。穿上護膝后，我就承擔起清除院子里的雜草，甚至是石頭花園里的雜草的任務。

就在那時我意識到，如果一株小小的向日葵都沒有讓一塊大石頭擋住它成長的路，那么我們同樣有能力做同樣的事情。一旦我們生活的環(huán)境開始看到，我們像那株小小的向日葵一樣相信自己，我們就能得到同樣的養(yǎng)分并且成長起來。

首先， 我們需要相信自己， 認識到我們有能力實現(xiàn)我們的愿望。就像那株向日葵一樣， 它知道它有能力去克服障礙，因為它相信普遍真理，并且相信它會成功。

只要你像向日葵一樣高高站立，為自己感到自豪，環(huán)境就會開始支持你。為了實現(xiàn)愿望，你會在障礙下方或其周圍找到一條出路。

去年夏天，我走到石頭花園的盡頭，發(fā)現(xiàn)一株我不能馬上辨認出的細小植物。我知道我沒有種植它，德妮絲也說她沒有種過。于是我們決定讓它繼續(xù)生長，直到我們能弄清它到底是什么植物。

幾個星期之后，我回到那株神秘植物前，它看上去好像是一株向日葵。它有著細長的外形，高而瘦削的莖梗，之上只有一個頭。我決定呵護它并且給它除草。當我把這個地方的石頭挪開以便除草時，我發(fā)現(xiàn)了異乎尋常的事情。這株向日葵并不是從我看到的莖梗處開始生長，而實際上是從一塊大石頭下開始，從下面并繞過石頭生長而伸向太陽。