My Writing & Reading Journal

Wednesday 24th June

I’ve just started reading the book ‘Yes Man’ by Danny Wallace after seeing the brilliant film of the same name, starring Jim Carey.

After Wallace was dumped by his girlfriend and had become a bit of a toast eating recluse he met a man on a bus who told him that the secret to true happiness was to say ‘yes’ to life more often.

Wallace took this to the literal extreme and decided to say yes to absolutely everything that was offered to him- with hilarious results. The book is shaping up to be just as funny as the film and it certainly gives you food for thought. I think I might give it a go to see what happens, but I’m going to draw the line at saying yes to the spam I get offering me penis enlargements!

Say ‘yes’ – it’s the new ‘no’!

For more information on ‘Yes Man’ please click here.

Monday 8th June, 2009

I am currently reading a great, mind-bending book called The Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle.

Tolle suffered from depression in his twenties and was having suicidal thoughts until one day it hit him that there are two selves. Our essential ‘Being’ and the self that is created by our thoughts and ego. He realised that by letting go of our thought-driven selves we can live a life free from stress and pain. He encourages the reader to spend as much time as possible getting in touch with their ‘essential’ self and in doing so, live fully in the moment or the ‘Now’.

Since my partner was diagnosed with cancer earlier in the year I have been beset with fears and worries about the future,  so I have been finding the theories set out in the book really helpful.  However, one part made me laugh out loud.

Eckhart is talking about the joy of living in the moment and how it means there is no need to ‘wait’ for anything anymore, and he suggests that the next time someone apologies for keeping you waiting, you should reply with, ‘That’s all right. I wasn’t waiting, I was just standing here enjoying myself – in joy in myself.’

The other day in Sainsburys I had been kept waiting in the queue for an inordinate amount of time. I made the most of the moment by flicking through a copy of Heat and learning all about Angelina Jolie’s alleged insecurities with Brad and Gerri Haliwell’s new diet. When it finally came to be my turn, the shop assistant uttered the immortal words, ‘Sorry to have kept you waiting.’ For a nano-second I thought about giving her Eckhart’s recommended response, but then I looked at the tattooed letters on her wrist, spelling out  MILWALL FC and I figured she might not be quite ready for the concept of ‘being in joy in myself’, so I just said, ‘No problem’ and began unloading my food on to the conveyor belt.

For more information about ‘The Power of Now’ on Amazon.co.uk please click here.