Author: A2 Center for Mindfulness
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Paying Attention to the Groundhog
Another Groundhog Day has come and gone, and once again we’ve been briefly entertained by the behavior of a large rodent. Surely, the rational mind knows that the groundhog doesn’t determine the change of seasons, and a quick glance at groundhogs’ performances over the decades demonstrate little prognostic relationship with the end of winter or…
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New Years Intentions
Out with the old, in with the new. 2016 is upon us and so is the annual buzz about resolutions for the New Year. Resolutions about losing weight, exercising more, drinking less, spending time with friends. Sound familiar? New Year’s resolutions are really New Year’s goals, arrived at as a result of taking stock of…
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A Missed Opportunity
It’s an all too frequent sight. A man or woman standing at the end of the highway exit ramp, holding a sign “Need money for food”, “Will work” or “Please help my family”. Exposed to the elements, looking haunted, he or she stands, hoping that a decelerating driver will reach out the window with an…
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Going with the Flow
I rediscovered the joy of swimming in the past year, and once, or twice a week, if the schedule works in my favor, I slipped into the warm waters of the health center near my home and began to swim back and forth across the length of the pool. I felt my aches and pains…
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Word with Friends
WORDS WITH FRIENDS is a popular smart phone app that allows a virtual connection between friends, or strangers, while playing a Scrabble-like word game. It’s fun, let’s hope it’s good for the brain, and it’s free. But what about real words with friends or stangers? The kind of words that make a difference in the…
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Panic on the Cushion
Several years ago, at the Barre Center for Buddhist Studies, I attended a five-day Advanced Training in Mindfulness Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT) for Depression. MBCT is an evidence- based intervention designed to prevent recurrence in people who suffer from recurrent depression. The setting was serene, central Massachusetts in late summer. The grounds were lush and…