gossip, the ego, and water coolers

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By: David Henault
David discovered yoga shortly after his career in creative design relocated him from Boston to Orlando, Florida in 1999.  Amazed at how the practice alleviated the stresses of corporate life and ...
Edited date: November 14, 2022Estimated reading time: 2 minutes

Getting caught in the chatter

It can sometimes be so easy to allow ourselves to get caught up in the chatter of our minds. The incessant ramblings and emotional reactions of “he said, she said”, “what ifs” and “should, could, and would.”

Everyone’s mind behaves this way. It started a long time ago when Ego moved in upstairs. Ego has always been such a good tenant. Paying rent on time, not making too much noise, and parking in the right spot.

Ego loves to try and distract us from the present moment. He reminds us of that one time when he or she did that thing that made us so angry, or what we are going to say to our boss the next time they say that thing that pisses us off.

We let Ego live here so long because he has always given us a sense of confidence. He assures us that however, we choose to justify our actions, we are always right on the money. Ego gets a lot of his energy by keeping us focused on the past and the future. And that is because Ego does want you to know that he can’t exist for one second in the present moment.

So the next time you find yourself gossiping with your own mind (and Ego) at the water cooler, close your eyes and take a couple of deep breaths. When you open them again, find yourself in the present moment and just observe your thoughts without an emotional attachment. Let it all go. It may take some discipline at first and might hurt Ego’s ego, but in time, you just might find yourself laughing at how much you have been exaggerating your thoughts and memories.

See, in the present moment, trees are greener. Jokes are funnier. Love is lovelier.

I wonder how much “present moment” time we waste by allowing ourselves to relive things that don’t exist anymore. Or for that matter, haven’t even happened yet.

In Short

In time and with enough practice, we can actually rewire our minds to stay in the present moment and not get caught off guard by the illusions our not-so-good friend Ego creates. We might even be just present enough to enjoy that cone-shaped cup of ice-cold water from the water cooler!

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