I am currently reading...

...The Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle. Often I will hear about a book, then buy it and take it home only to leave it on a shelf -- even when something I hear resonates with me enough to make the purchase, I will still let it collect dust. That's what happened with A New Earth Awakening to Your Life's Purpose, also by Eckhart Tolle.

Then one day recently while exchanging e-mails with a friend, something in our conversation prompted him to share with me some lines from a book HE was reading. The book was by, yep, Eckhart Tolle. Naturally, I shared with him that I had purchased one of his books after hearing about it on Oprah, but had yet to read it. At his persistence, I picked it up. Funny how that happens, huh?! I can say that perhaps it was MEANT TO BE that I read this book! However, I decided to go out and buy the first book in his series, The Power of Now, and after a conversation with yet another friend, who was bemoaning her situation in life at that moment, I encouraged her to go purchase the latter book and read along with me. She went out that very day, which just happened to be a day off from work for her, so it was rare that she and I even had the online conversation that led us both to read the book.

So there you have it -- the repeated nudges I received until I actually picked up the books to read them. All I can say is that it was time!!! If it's time for you, I'm sure you will be led to read them, as well. For now, I want to share some lines from the book that have particular meaning for me today. The format of the books presents questions the author is often asked regarding the insight he shares in lectures, interviews, etc., followed by his answers. I will share the material in the same manner.

Throughout my 'dialogue' here, I constantly talk about 'letting go'. I realized the significance of it, but I'm not certain I ever really understood how to actually do it. Now (your understanding of this word -- now -- will forever change how you look at it if you read the book), maybe I am going to learn how to do just that. This question addresses that desire I have had for so long.

"How can we drop negativity as you suggest?"

"By dropping it. How do you drop a piece of hot coal that you are holding in your hand? How do you drop some heavy and useless baggage that you are carrying? By recognizing that you don't want to suffer the pain or carry the burden anymore and then letting go of it."

How simply profound!! Granted the information in the book contains more depth than this and thus takes you to a place where such simple metaphors have deeper meaning. The process is so liberating though! He teaches you how to become aware of your thoughts which you 'identify' with, how they contribute to the feelings/emotions you have and, thus, the behavior you display. That is not the same as 'taking action'. It's not the same as finding a 'creative solution' to the problems/issues in life.

Living in the 'NOW' rather than in the past or the future, is devoid of living inside your head/mind -- your thoughts. You will become more conscious of how your feelings are fueled by your thoughts, and you will check your behavior as a result. You will come to realize that once you are aware of your thoughts and feelings (as an 'outside observer/watcher' of them) and become present (in the moment), you will be in a better position to make conscious choices/decisions that will lead you to appropriate action as opposed to just 'reacting' based on thoughts and feelings.

My friend, Noa Bursie, wrote a song about 'Familiar Addiction'. We spend much of our lives returning to our 'familiar addictions' -- those thoughts and behaviors that we know best. They are indeed familiar, but not always comfortable or functional. They take the place of finding 'creative solutions'. They keep us behaving in old routine ways of thinking, feeling, and behaving, but they do not represent a conscious decision to find that 'creative solution' by taking new action based on having pondered the reality of our past. It's important to learn from the past to avoid making more mistakes. It's significant to set goals for the future. "It's important to predict the future by means of patterns and laws, physical, mathmetical, and so on, learned from the past and taking appropriate action based on the basis of our predictions." But the essential factor is the (action we take in the) present, not focusing on the past or future.

I'm taking things out of context, but trying to give you the essence of the book. I suppose I should leave that discovery up to you. I'll share another excerpt from the book that actually made me laugh when I first read it. I know that I complicate issues most of the time. It IS laughable when I realize how simply profound the truth is. This is an example:

"I feel that there is still a great deal I need to learn about the workings of my mind before I can get anywhere near full consciousness or spiritual enlightenment."

"No, you don't. The problems of the mind cannot be solved on the level of the mind. Once you have understood the basic dysfunction, there isn't really much else that you need to learn or understand."

That one really hit hard! I've spent much of my life justifying why I am so analytical, why I live inside my mind...or more specifically, why I hold on to people -- relationships or objects/things that don't really have anything to do with 'who I really am'. I see now, that those things (even when used properly) do not represent 'who I am'. They never should have!

Okay, I'll step off the soapbox, and leave you to determine if this book will be one you want to read, as well. I know that my 'thinking' has changed forever. Deep breath, exhale, and be in the 'NOW'...it's all I have, really!!!! :))