In the moment...."To be or not to be? That is the question."

I'm finding as this day progresses and each of my four children struggle to establish themselves at the top of the pecking order, that my not being in the moment is working as a tool for self preservation.

Eckhardt Tolle advises that if we are having a negative experience, and can do nothing to change it, we should go more deeply into the moment, without labelling it good or bad, without thought forms of any kind, just observe.
I put Eckhardt's suggestion to the test during root canal therapy. I have to say it absolutely worked! I focused on the light above me, on the feeling in my jaw which had been stretched open for an hour, the sounds and smells of the scraping drill, the chill in my other teeth from the suction device, the debris as it tried to find a way down the back of my throat, and on my overwhelming desire to swallow. I became acutely aware of everything that was happening without judging or labelling anything, and I found that all feelings about the situation disappeared. I felt relaxed and quite peaceful.

I'm going back out there now, to see if I can put it into practise while dealing with the little squabblers.