The ego trying to be present

One sneaky trick of my ego that has been keeping me out of the present moment for a long time is this.  It tries to find the right way to be present, which is impossible since the ego/mind is always past/future.  Then whenever I remember to be present, it judges me for all the time I had just spend lost in thought, which is just more thought pulling me back into the mind.  What a clever little SOB!!

I realize that resisting this tactic just reinforces my ego and the judgment, so I am learning to be compassionate and even grateful towards it when I catch it doing this.  After all, it is a pretty ingenious way of keeping me safe in the mind and away from all the 'dangers' that might exist in the present moment.  Thank you ego for your protection, but those dangers are just delusions created by you to pull me back into the mind (another great trick).  You can do your thing, but I've got my peaceful eye on you now!