"Mindfulness is about focusing without focus. It is about a dynamic attention that is free flowing. Once you experience it, you will know it. It can't really be described, but only alluded to. It must be experienced directly."
For the metaphysically inclined mind this quote is refreshing and intoxicating. And for a writer to entice my mental with a new yet familiar way of achieving the above is worth reading and writing about. Which is just what happened when I read Learning to Drive into the Now: PRND by Solan McClean. When I received this book in my P O Box I was immediately drawn to the feel of the quality of the book and plus two of my favorite colors are olive and black, so it got my attention. I was also curious to know how driving and self-help would mesh together.
Voice is very important and you will clearly know that this is a man talking. In lines like..."I've noticed that my car is really an extension of my physical self and to a large degree, a very revealing part of my mental self or the way I think and behave." Whoa! That was truly a masculine feeling I've never felt before. LOL! But hey I'm not a man, so again my interest was peaked to see how this practice of PRND would play out. In the beginning chapters Solan makes many good points on the validity of using the car as a private place to have time to yourself. I like the way he articulates the car and person's inner and outer connection. Also in the beginning I did get little confused on the transitions from one topic to the next which to me was a clear indication of a new professional writer.
However, even as a novice, Solan was very clear on who this book is intended for and I agree those who need a simple way to recondition the mind to a more peaceful existence and you don't have a lot of time, the PRND is a viable practice.
Now getting to what the practice really entails is going to take you a while through the pages, but is it worth the wait. The PRND acronyms were a cute and memorable touch to the point of the book. Also if you are in need of a pep talk to get yourself on the path to doing something positive for yourself, Solan offers the best pep talks I have every read; very encouraging and motivating throughout the entire book. Another nice point in the book which was a great reminder and lesson for seekers of truth was the reiteration of seeking the thoughts in between the thoughts. If you can grasp this concept you will be enriched by the PRND practice. The book also comes with a good trouble shooting chapter (Chapter 9) to help maintain consistency in the PRND practice.
This could have been a 5 ankh book for me but, I had to give it 4 ankhs because there were to things that I struggled with. One was the consistent dwelling on the ego mind. I felt he was repeating the same things over and over in fact the last four chapters of the book could have been shortened and combined into one. Two, there were no references or bibliography. I look at references as being inspirations to writing in self-help. It is vital to honor those whose ideas and sacred words help to change our lives and inspired us to write.
I hope Solan does an audio book for Learning to Drive into the Now: PRND, because this book would be great for driving instructors, new drivers, old drivers that need a change of pace, audio learners and those who are seeking to learn to let go and just be in the moment.
K. Akua Gray
April 21, 2017
Houston, TX
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