Focus:

Winifred Gallagher:

"Emily Dickinson describes the exclusive, rapt focus that marks your closest ties:

I've known her - from an ample nation -

Choose One -

Then - close the Valves of her attention

Like Stone -

The relationship most associated with such intimacy, or the intense attachment that's rooted in each partner's special concentration on the other, has traditionally considered integral to the good life[.]"

"A profound focus on your partner is, was, and always will be the distinguishing characteristic of an intimate bond such as marriage - at least, that's the theory[.]"

"Attention, from Latin for "reach toward," is the most basic ingredient in any relationship, from a casual friendship to a lifelong marriage. Giving and receiving the undivided sort, however briefly, is the least that one person can do for another and sometimes the most."

"it's impossible to communicate, much less bond, with someone who can't or won't focus on you."