I retired from Keene State College in 2016, where I taught for 30 years. I have practiced Vipassana meditation since 1979 and have had significant experiences in many different religions and spiritual traditions. I taught meditation at Keene State College to students in many courses and to faculty and staff; at the local hospital; at the County jail; to teachers and students in local schools; and at the Monadnock Mindfulness Practice Center which I helped to found in 2002.
My intention for the website is to provide a resource to share what I have learned about mindfulness, about meditation, and about life.
I suffered an aortic dissection in November 2020 which has slowed me down. I have written about what this illness has taught me in my Blog.
In April 2020 I began sending out “A quote, a poem, and a story” every Wednesday. I had heard many people talk about how stressed they were because of the pandemic, and I realized that I have quotes, poems, and stories that uplift me, so I am sharing them. So many people have responded to these that I continue to send them out. Send me an email if you want to receive them.
What Mindfulness Is and Isn't
Mindfulness is bringing two intentions to present moment experience:
the intention to meet what is happening with curiosity and interest, and
the intention to let it happen, that is, an attitude of acceptance, non-judging, or kindness--whichever of these three terms fits you best.
Meditation is when we practice mindfulness for a period of time. While "sitting down meditation" is not for everyone, virtually everyone I know would like to be mindful more often. A few more words about meditation can be found here.
My first meditation teacher, when explaining the purpose of meditation, asked: "Wouldn't it be wonderful if we could have a miniature-sized assistant who sat on our shoulders and reminded us when we were getting angry, frustrated, etc. at our spouse, children, parents, at work, etc.?" He replied, "That's what mindfulness does--it increases the likelihood that we will remember mindfulness during times of stress."