Philip Seymour Hoffman: Just Like Me

Philip Seymour Hoffman: Just Like Me

An Unhappy Ending Like so many others, I was deeply saddened by the death of Philip Seymour Hoffman. I’d been an admirer for much of my adult life, watching in amazement as he disappeared into each role, completely embodying his characters and making it look effortless, which it surely was not. His death was a […]

Dealing with Your Noisy Left Brain: How to Reconcile Your Differences

Dealing with Your Noisy Left Brain: How to Reconcile Your Differences

I have a very loud, very busy left brain that I call Lefty.  (For those neuroanatomy purists, I use the term ‘left brain’ loosely.  Our brains aren’t so neatly divided, but humor me for ease of description.) Four things about Lefty before I get to our current dilemma: 1.  Lefty is my highly verbal, analytical […]

How Not to Meditate: Lessons from a Vipassana

How Not to Meditate: Lessons from a Vipassana

Intentions Aren’t Everything In response to a Facebook post asking about vipassana meditation retreats, my friend Sarah commented : “I think Mary Beth did one of these, right, MB?” Indeed I had. Vipassana is an ancient Indian meditation technique rediscovered by Buddha over 2500 years ago and globally popularized in the last century.  It means […]