Post #7 My books: The Power of Now

I just finished reading The Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle on my Christmas gift, my nifty NookColor.



I know I’m late given all the bru-ha created by this author and his books, especially after Winfrey had Tolle’s A New Earth as one of her reading club’s selection.



Anyhoo, I read it. I declare myself too limited to fully comprehend the mystery behind his words. As a writer he is really repetitive and he is so into his message and so detached from the “form world” that I guess it’s below him to connect to us “form beings” in our “pain bodies.” It was hard for me to elevate myself away from my worldly life, which seems an apparent requirement to reach his level.



Having said that, there are some nuggets that I found valuable for me in my current "life situation." Life does sound “nicer” as he describes it, but there is sooo much to do. But if life will be nicer maybe it would be worth a try…



-The idea of surrender. Not that you give up or that you say you’re defeated in the battle and so you’re a loser. You surrender, you do not resist the “What Is.” Things are crummy, yes, but you either decide to change your crummy things, remove yourself from your crummy environment or you accept it. I like these options. Figure out if something can be done to fix your mess, decide if you want to fix it or not, go away or leave it be. If you think you must let it be, then don’t harbor any resentment, hatred or other type of negative reaction. Surrender to it. It’s “What Is.”



--The idea of forgiveness. Before starting the book, I was already in a mode of forgiving those who have hurt me, as I declare it in my daily prayers. At least I declare my desire or intent to forgive. I don’t know if I’m yet there. Usually my resentments never boil over, they just simmer. But saying I want to be free of resentment, is pretty liberating.



--Living in the Now. This one is hard, since I am attached to my past in a pretty hard way, in terms not necessarily of the things that happened to me, but in the people who helped define who I am, good and bad, treasures I received from them, or their messy crap as they deposited in my lap. I also like the idea of the future. My future is always beautiful. As of now in my future I have full bodily functions restored and I have no money problems. And I have a little piece of this beautiful planet where I can walk on the beach. But being in the Now, as I understood Tolle is being okay this exact moment. Doing what I do. Accepting who I am. Able to detach myself from my life experiences and their emotional baggage, to surrender to the grace of this moment. Content with just Being me, as I am in the Now.



So for real, I forgive red-headed Mark, Cathy, Jeff and Mary Lekus. I forgive you, guys, and wish you peace and a full grasp of the Now.



Books I’m reading now: The Feminine Mystique by Betty Friedan; Faust by Goethe; Siddhartha by Hesse.