be present in the moment

... with two friends from work. It’s been more than a month. Can’t say I had one of those “meditation moments” of transcendence or anything, but I said a lot of prayers for family and friends (including some on 43T who have recently experienced loss or are in that process). And that felt good.

So last night I’m watching Countdown with Keith Olbermann, and the #1 story is that Paris Hilton was seen carrying copies of the Bible and “The Power of Now” by Eckhart Tolle.

I was floored. Paris Hilton, or at least the public image of Paris Hilton, represents just about everything that is wrong with our American society. Yet here she is, carrying – and maybe even reading – one of the most important books I’ve ever read.

Oh, and she also had the Bible. I say that tongue-in-cheek because I haven’t read the whole Bible. Maybe not even one quarter of it. We Catholics aren’t so big on bible study.

Paris, for those who don’t pay attention to these things, is facing a jail term in coming months for some kind of driving infraction in California. Maybe her publicists are simply using God and Eckhart Tolle to make Paris seem somehow repentant and spiritual, in hopes of reducing her sentence.

Whether or not Paris goes to jail, I hope she reads “The Power of Now” and gets something out of it. If I were going to jail, I’d sure want it with me.

The ego is what gets in the way of living in the moment, because it’s what dwells on the past and worries about the future.

“The ego isn’t wrong; it’s just unconscious. When you observe the ego in yourslef, you are beginning to go beyond it. Don’t take the ego too seriously. When you detect egoic behavior in yourself, smile. At times you may even laugh. How could humanity have been taken in by this for so long? Above all, know that the ego isn’t personal. It isn’t who you are. If you consider the ego to be your personal problem, that’s just more ego.”
- Eckhart Tolle, A New Earth

from the library.

“A New Earth: Awaking to your Life’s Purpose” by Eckhart Tolle.

I’m going to read a chapter a day.

I’m going to finish it this time!

with a co-worker who’s really into meditation.

We talked a bit afterward, and it was really helpful. He said he read something that said the important thing is taking the time to meditate, even if you’re not always successful at closing off the rest of the world during your session. It’s something you learn to do by doing.

I’m also happy to have run into Lynnorajean, another 43’er who’s into Tolle and undertands being present in the moment.

This morning I meditated for 20 minutes with three co-workers.

They’ve been doing this for the last several months and inviting others to join them, but for some reason I haven’t.

This morning I saw they were gathering to go the room where they meditate, and I joined them. I’ve never really meditated with anyone else before, but it was a good experience. I mostly concentrated on my breath, and the 20 minutes seemed to fly past. When the leader said 20 minutes were up, I thought maybe we’d been doing it for 10 minutes.

I was paging through the Signals.com catalog and saw the coolest watch, which has no hands. All it says is “Now”.

Here’s the catalog copy:

Now Watch

EXCLUSIVE! Look no hands. A watch for those who live in the moment, this is a manifesto, not a timepiece. Wheels, pins, pivots, and jewels have been replaced with sand and a stone etched”NOW.” The battery never needs replacing because there isn’t one. Silvertone case is 1¼” across; black leather band fits wrists up to 8”.

Here’s a link: http://tinyurl.com/ykwkuy

to my audio book of Tolle’s “A New Earth,” which is helping me.

to my book-on-tape of Eckhart Tolle’s “A New Earth”, and it’s helping me get back into presence—not letting thoughts carry me away.

Took a walk on the nature trail today while listening, and found myself in a real zone, just being and walking.

I like it.

Found a similar goal here on 43T:
leave the past in the past, the future in the future, and enjoy the present of the present
http://www.43things.com/things/view/226605