Slowly making my way through Eckhart Tolle’s “The Power of Now.”  Just reading it does something to me, puts me in the present moment, maybe.  But I always feel better after reading.  It also gets me thinking.

He was talking about waiting.  Or more accurately, not waiting.  He said that people who are present minded are never waiting.  They are just being.

Last Friday I left work early, unexpectedly.  I thought I might stop at my mechanic’s so he could listen to the odd sound the car was making.  I figured, 15 minutes, in and out, and was busy planning what else I could do with this found time.  Turned out it was the rear brakes.  And rather than go through the hassle of trying to figure another time to bring in the car, and with no particular place to go, I said, go for it.

So, I settled in with a couple books, some fresh paper and a pen and easily entertained myself for the 2 hours he promised it would take.  But two hours later, I watched 3:00 come and go and still the car was up on the lift.  I started to feel antsy and bored with what I was doing.  I became aware of how chilly it was in the waiting room and how stiff the chair.  I kept having visions of the next stop, where I could be warm and have a cup of tea . . . I was calm and easy before, now I was stressed, uncomfortable and having a hard time sitting still.

Why not try Eckhart Tolle’s method?  I felt myself sitting in the chair, here and now.  I allowed myself to accept the fact that I was there and until they finished the job, I wasn’t going anywhere.  I let go of thoughts of the next stop and focused on where I was.  I consciously felt my muscles relax and sink into the chair.  Almost as soon as I did that the anxious waiting feeling disappeared and I even felt a little warmer.  The rest of the time passed quickly and I was in a good mood when it was time to pay the bill.  The mechanic thanked me for waiting, but I didn’t feel like that at all!

Now, Mr. Tolle is clear to say that there is small scale waiting, like this one, and there is large scale waiting like waiting for a new job, mate or home.  I don’t know if I could be as successful with that kind of waiting, but if I practice on these small ones, it might be a lot easier to wait for the big things.