Review: So how preoccupied were you today with the past or future, on a scale of 1-10? Me, too. Robert Wicks shakes up readers with this from novelist Walker Percy: "What if life is like a train and I miss it?" Unless you become spiritually mindful, says Wicks, you risk getting left behind on the platform.

This brief gem of a book brims with wise, compassionate, in-the-trenches advice on how to practice "being in the present with your eyes wide open to experiencing God and life." Wicks visits with the greats of Catholic spirituality and tells tales on himself (he frets about stock losses while three family members struggle with serious illness). There's even a checklist of "spiritually mindless" habits. Bravo. —Catherine O'Connell-Cahill, Senior Editor, U.S. CATHOLIC  

Discussion starters:

What surprises has God put in your life?
How does spontaneity lead us to greater union with God?
When has God given you an unexpected break or a time to heal?
What would you do if you had an unexpected day off? A week? A year?
Who are the spiritual guides who speak most clearly to you?

Share your thoughts about the book or any of these questions by posting a comment in this forum.