The Power of Now – “Cut them off with a sharp knife!”

“Time isn’t precious at all, because it is an illusion. What you perceive as precious is not time but the one point that is out of time: the Now. That is precious indeed. The more you are focused on time—past and future—the more you miss the Now, the most precious thing there is.” ― Eckhart Tolle, The Power of Now: A Guide to Spiritual Enlightenment

Back in April, I wrote about another book by today’s author (HERE). In it, I mentioned how surprised I was to find that I hadn’t written about THIS book, “The Power of Now,” because I’d read it eons ago. Okay, years. I’d read it years ago.

Also, it was a mega-hit in the self-help genre when it came out (1999) and remains so.

Finally, Eckhart Tolle himself is a bit of a rockstar, having the stamp of approval from no-less than Oprah, Ellen and Meg Ryan:

Meg Ryan and Ellen DeGeneres gave me copies of this book, and it’s gotten me through more crises than I can count. It truly helped me discover how to live in the now—to not linger on past mistakes, but to learn from them and then let them go. For me, this is the Mama Jama of super-soulful books. At every moment, it keeps me in a state of awe and amazement.— Oprah Winfrey Link

There is – as always – a story behind why I no longer had the book in my possession (and therefore, had not yet written about it, since all the books I’ve written about thus far have been in my own collection).

So, settle in and let’s talk about it.

To begin, we must talk about the premise of the book… which is…

• Live in the moment as it occurs.

You thought I was gonna make a list?

Ha!

So simple, really.

Addendum: Also, hard as hell.

Ah, yes… and here we go!

Back in January 2018, I wrote a post about a lost friendship. What you need to know about this particular friendship is that she gave me many, many gifts throughout the years.

I had trouble with it because it felt (and was) very one-sided. She was wealthy and I was poor, or at least, didn’t have disposable income. Anything extra I did have always went to my children, and that wasn’t much, if any. But I digress.

My former-friend was very, very generous with everything she had. It made for some discomfort on my end and at times, it felt downright icky, though I always knew that was not her intention. She was a giving person and had it to give. Still, it caused problems for me and was a factor in the end of our relationship.

Anyway.

Among her many offerings were gifts of books. This book, The Power of Now, was one of them.

I’d read the book many years before and didn’t have my own copy, so when my friend sent it, I read it again and loved it all over again.

Then, the friendship ended in a horrible way – over email … right smack-in-the-middle of 2014: The Year of Pain and the death of our beloved 15-year-old cat, Tess, in the summer of 2015.

To say I was gutted would be a massive understatement.

My grandmother used to say that when people hurt her, she “Cut them off with a sharp knife,” and I’ve never particularly liked the saying but understood it. What’s it mean? The person NO LONGER EXISTS to you.

Certain people I know have adapted this as a lifestyle. I never did…

The year of pain and all that followed changed me at the core level. I set boundaries that certainly LOOKED LIKE cutting people off with a sharp knife.

After I got over the initial hurt, I donated or tossed literally everything this friend gave to me. From letters to books to figurines, I got rid of them all, including (of course you’ve figured this out by now) this book.

In a way, it is like the ultimate “living in the now,” isn’t it?

*Poof*

It’s as-if you never existed at all.

Six years have passed and another copy of the book is now in my possession (Thank you, thrift shop, where I got it for $5).

Being honest, it reminds me of my former-friend. In fact, I dreamed of her last night, knowing I’d be writing about it today.

Seems like you can’t actually erase a person, eh?

You see, cutting off people with a sharp knife not only ISN’T REAL… it’s also nothing like living in the now.

Duh.

Talk about knotty thinking!

Also, just as an aside, friendships are messy things. Sometimes, they hurt. This one did. But I harbor no ill-will or bitterness towards my old friend, nor do I wish her anything but happiness and health. And I HATE that saying now!

*ahem*

So, back to the book…

I started all over again with my new copy. Read it again. Did my research.

Worth it!

It’s the kind of book that elicits comments from, “Genius!” to “BS!” and everything in between.

It’s spiritual without being religious.

It’s new-age-y and self-help-y and in a way, so logical that you can’t poo-poo it in another way.

Live in the now.

Just do it.

Not easy, though. Yes, you need to read the book. But also, there’s lots online to help.

Look around… and maybe this will be a good start for you…

Decoding The Power of Now: