Time bandits

"A great deal of what people say, think, or do is actually motivated by fear, which of course is always linked with having your focus on the future and being out of touch with the Now. As there are no problems in the Now, there is no fear either." - Eckhart Tolle

In recent weeks on numerous occasions I've caught myself eating my meals so fast that it quite literally startled me.

I have also found myself driving my car faster and with far less mindfulness than normal to get to my points of destination.

Have you felt any of that going on in your life?

For many people these emotional times of change are feardriven with an attachment to the future, focusing on how uncertain life tomorrow "may be."

The reality is tomorrow has always been uncertain; we just weren't as obsessed with it as we are now. Likewise, for many, there is quite an attachment to "the way it used to be."

I call these attachments to the future and the past "time bandits" because they rob us of our ability to be present and accounted for in each holy instant, which is where our true inner peace and power await us.

It makes good sense to "glance" at the future and the past once in a while, if only because they can serve as good points of reference. However, we should not stare at them, because they will suck us right out of the Now.

As with all circumstances we encounter along the pathway on our spiritual journey, there are lessons we can learn from our current experience.

It requires the ability to "freeze frame" our life, stand back and become a conscious observer of our own thoughts, feelings and actions, noticing where they are taking us.

One might ask: What are some of the telltale signs that suggest I may have been overwhelmed by these time bandits? In his great book "The Power of Now," Eckhart Tolle writes: "To alert you that you have allowed yourself to be taken over by psychological time, you can use a simple criterion. Ask yourself: Is there any joy, ease, and lightness in what I am doing? If there isn't, then time is covering up the present moment, and life is perceived as a burden or a struggle."

It is by no coincidence that joy, ease and lightness are also three of the primary intrinsic qualities felt within by anyone who is consciously aware of God's presence. This, coupled with Eckhart Tolle's statement, makes a good case for the premise (and promise) that God is eternally a Now presence.

Think about it: God is not known as the great I was or I'm going to be, but rather, I am.

It becomes much easier to make the surrender to the Now when we know that God is there to guide and support us. Sort of gives new meaning to the saying "I let go and I let God," doesn't it?

As a mindfulness practice, try becoming the conscious observer of your thoughts, feelings and actions today. Notice how much of your energy is being stolen from you by the time bandits of the past and the future.

Make a conscious choice to step into the Now, and do so by breathing consciously. Watch your in breaths and your out breaths as they effortlessly flow. Begin to experience the joy of simply being alive in this holy instant and feel the energy of ease and lightness wash over you.

Notice that any sense of struggle or burden is lifted and carried away. For the next 24 hours make your affirmation, "I let go and I let God." Enjoy the Now, for it is all you will ever have.

Dennis Merritt Jones is the spiritual director for OneSpirit Center for Conscious Living in Simi Valley. You can visit him online at www.OneSpirit.org or www.DennisMerrittJones.com.