When I was in my teens and twenties, it seemed to me that my parents worried about everything.  I was determined that I would never worry like they did when I grew older.  I would be calm and relaxed and take all of life’s ups and downs in stride.  Now I know better.  As I’ve gotten older, I’ve found that worry and stress are my constant companions.  The challenges of work, parenting adult children, and aging, not to mention worrying about the state of the world, cause me stress from which I find it difficult to escape.  It appears I’m not the only one struggling with the stresses of 21st century living.  One researcher reported that 7 in 10 Americans suffer from physical symptoms due to stress, and 67% reported high levels of daily stress.  Given that ongoing daily stresses can contribute to serious health problems, as well as taking away from enjoyment of life, what can we do to manage our stress?  One answer is mindfulness.

Mindfulness is everywhere in the news these days.  In the last month, I’ve read articles about mindfulness being used by librarians to offset the stress of heavy workloads, by teachers stressed over high stakes testing and time urgency, by professional basketball players to slow down the mind to get into game shape, and by the U.S. Marines preparing for deployment.  The library catalog has numerous books on mindfulness, for parenting, for people dealing with pain and acute illness, and increasingly, for children in school, as well as many other situations.

So, what exactly is mindfulness?  Is it different from meditation?  Mindfulness is simply awareness.  It is slowing down, paying attention to the present moment in a non-judgmental way.  Meditation is a large umbrella term encompassing many techniques and practices to reach a heightened level of consciousness.  According to Jon Kabat-Zinn who has studied mindfulness for over 35 years, practicing mindfulness is actually a form of meditation, and all meditation is about paying attention, no matter what tradition or technique is used.

Jon Kabat-Zinn was a molecular biologist who began meditating as a graduate student at MIT, and founded the Stress Reduction Clinic at the University Massachusetts Medical School in 1979.  In developing the first program to help patients deal with chronic pain, he brought an ancient tradition into the mainstream of Western medicine.  He and his colleagues at the Stress Reduction Clinic began an 8-week program known as Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction or MBSR.   At the end of the 8 weeks of mindfulness training, participants reported lower stress levels and a greater ability to deal with chronic pain, as well as other stressful situations. Kabat-Zinn and his colleagues began researching the patient outcomes of their program.  Since then, many thousands of peer reviewed scientific studies have confirmed the usefulness of mindfulness training in helping people cope with stress and develop a broader repertoire of ways of experiencing themselves. Other benefits have been shown in treating cardiovascular disease, depression, addictions, and many other conditions.  Today, MBSR programs exist at hundreds of medical centers and clinics in the U.S. and around the world.

The developing field of cognitive neuroscience has made it possible to actually see the effects of mindfulness training on the brain.  Recent MRI studies done before and after an 8-week MBSR program show structural changes in four regions of the brain, areas involved with learning and memory, emotional arousal, and empathy and compassion.  Other studies have shown changes in brain activity during mindfulness activities, specifically an increase in connectivity between regions of the brain.  These structural and functional changes in the brain correlate with decreased stress and greater calmness and balance in patients.

So, how does one begin the practice of mindfulness?   Jon Kabat-Zinn says that you can be mindful anywhere, anytime, and with anyone you like.  This is simple, and at the same time, difficult.  When I take my morning walks, I try to focus on what I am seeing and sensing — the trees and sky, the sounds of birds, the warmth of the sun on my face, the way my body feels as I walk.  Inevitably, I find myself thinking about other things, trying to solve problems, planning my day.  Each time I realize that my mind is wandering, I bring myself back to focusing on the present moment.  I’ve read that with practice, paying attention to the present moment becomes easier.   One of the simplest things we can do to get back to the present is to focus on breathing in and breathing out.  I’ve found that ten minutes of slow, regular breathing relaxes me and reduces my stress.  It is encouraging to me that practicing mindfulness doesn’t require advanced skills to be helpful and effective, and that a small time commitment to practice can provide immediate benefits.

I’ve been reading several books on mindfulness, all of which have aided me in understanding this topic.  Mindfulness for Beginners by Jon Kabat-Zinn is a collection of reflections and practices that he has found most useful with his students, and includes a CD with 5 guided mindfulness meditations.  In This Moment: Five Steps to Transcending Stress Using Mindfulness and Neuroscience by Kirk Strosahl and Patricia Robinson provides practical strategies for dealing with the daily stresses we all experience.  Mindfulness in Eight Weeks by Michael Chaskalson gives detailed instructions to support you in learning mindfulness in a structured way.  And finally, The Little Book of Mindfulness by Patrizia Collard is just that – a small book, containing simple 5 and 10 minute practices to let go of stress and anxiety.  These are but a few of the numerous books on mindfulness in the Minuteman Library Network.  I encourage you to take a look at some of them.  I hope you will find them useful as I have.

Bonnie Wyler is an Outreach and Literacy Librarian at the Morrill Memorial Library in Norwood, Massachusetts.  Read Bonnie’s column in the February 2, 2017 issue of the Norwood Transcript and Bulletin.

Over a decade of birdwatching has taught me that “if you feed them, they will come.” This works with teenagers and a multitude of other creatures, too.

I became a novice birder when I married my husband, Gerry in 2007.  He has been a birdwatcher most of his life and his backyards have always boasted bird feeders and bird houses and he’s been known to grandfather dozens of nest of bluebirds in the spring. His bookshelves were full of bird books when I met him, and they’ve become fuller since he married me.

A few years ago, I had made it my New Year’s resolution to learn more about the 300 species of birds that frequent the Bay State. I wouldn’t say I’ve been consistent with this goal, but I’ve learned that I can at least impress my grandchildren with a few names and facts here and there. And so, this past weekend found me reading An Introduction to Massachusetts Birds by Christopher Leahy.  It’s a short paperback book, pamphlet-sized actually, published by the Massachusetts Audubon Society in 1975.

My grandchildren are certain to quickly surpass me in their birding knowledge and I’m going to have to learn fast to keep up.  One of our youngest, 1-1/2 year old Maeve, was pointing out the dark-eyed juncos by our feeders this past Sunday morning within minutes after Gerry pointed them out to her.  Three-year old Phoebe is well aware that she bears the name of one of her Papa’s favorite birds and he’s taught her the Phoebe’s birdcall.  Papa and Phoebe counted over 50 robins in our front yard last weekend. Papa and I watch  the male and female cardinals who visit our yard year-round with 2-year old twins Ava and Judah 1-1/2 year old Gabby. We can’t wait for our youngest, 2-month old Jack, to learn to watch for and point out Great Blue Herons as they pass overhead at dusk each summer evening on their way to the rookeries with food for their babies.

Over the past four years, since moving into a weekend home on the south coast, we’ve welcomed more and more species of birds. Our journal notes over 45 types from juncos just before the start of winter and the starlings and blackbirds in the first days of spring. Red tail hawks have landed on our woodpiles, always seeking the most vulnerable of the birding and natural world. We’ve seen our feeders go instantly still, birds suddenly freezing one second to the next, hoping the hawks won’t detect a breath or shiver. Gangs of mourning doves gather below our feeders and coo their delight in the seeds that have been generously dropped by previous visitors.
When reading Leahy’s Introduction to Massachusetts Birds, I was aware that his words of wisdom in the very first chapter of the book were true. If your feeders are full, and if you create a welcoming space, the more likely the birds will come. Gerry and I  know that when we’ve been absent for a just a few weeks, and our feeders are empty, that it takes at least 24 or 36 hours before the word is out.  There is food again! And the backyard birds return to visit.

Julie Zickefoose is the author of some of the most enjoyable books about birds. She and her husband, Bill Thompson, editor of Bird Watcher’s Digest, both blog and write about birds from their home in Whipple, Ohio. (Yes, Whipple. Named after the stream Whipple Run. Named after the man who tripped and fell in the stream. True story.)

Husband Bill Thompson has written numerous birding books, among them Birdwatching for Dummies. He’s also collaborated on books with his wife, Julie as the illustrator. Some of those are The New Birder’s Guide to Birds of North America (2014) and Identify Yourself: the 50 Most Common Birding Identification Challenges (2005) and Natural Gardening for Birds (2001).  They’ve collaborated on books for children such as The Young Birder’s Guide to Birds of North America (2012) and they’ve written and illustrated many more.
Zickefoose started her career as a field biologist and became a nature illustrator, using her own experiences with birds and animals in Appalachia. She is a contributor to both NPR’s All Things Considered and Bird Watcher’s Digest, writing articles and submitting cover paintings the magazine. (Her website includes many other examples nature, including mammals, amphibians, reptiles, insects and plants.)

Books written and illustrated by Zickefoose are enchanting works of art. The lovely prose and the beautiful artistic renditions make them my favorites.  The Bluebird Effect was published in 2012. Baby Birds was just released just months ago in 2016.

The Bluebird Effect is a published journal full of wonderful essays about a variety of birds, organized by season. Among many other species, spring includes the bluebird, summer the osprey, fall the red tail hawk, and winter the mourning dove. Zickefoose questions whether bluebird and their nests would survive without the gentle nurturing of their human beings’ concern.  That is also true of Osprey that live bountifully along the south coast of Massachusetts where many organizations nurture their nests. These shorebirds summer in tall coastline habitats, built by humans who care enough to nurture them.

Zickefoose’s latest book, Baby Birds: An Artist Looks into the Nest (2016), is a wonderful book to peruse with a preschooler. The artist’s renditions chronicle the bird from egg through chick to fledgling. The book includes all Eastern species including house sparrows, northern cardinals, tufted titmouse and ruby-throated hummingbirds.  When reading to a 3 or 4-year old, almost all of the prose can be abbreviated. The illustrations can tell the story.

Sharing nature, particularly wildlife such as birds, can be an added bonus to everyone, whether it be with your children, friends, grandchildren, or spouses. Bill Thompson brings their children, Phoebe and Liam, birding and points out reasons why children should become birders early in life. I agree with Julie Zickefoose who claims “Every day I find something new.”

Charlotte Canelli is the Library Director of the Morrill Memorial Library in Norwood, Massachusetts.  Read Charlotte’s column in the January 26th issue of the Norwood Transcript and Bulletin.

It had only been a month since my two year old brother Paul had died as I padded down the stairs for my daily evening cry in my parents arms. Paul and I were best buddies. Since I was the big girl of the family, a fourth grader, I was often given the responsibility of watching him. We would hang out on my parent’s bed. Paul would giggle in hysterics as I bounced the bed below him. Paul was born with disabilities. He was two years and hadn’t learned how to sit up. Often he would have seizures that frightened me and my siblings. Having four germy older brothers and sisters would unfortunately cause the pneumonia that took his life.

When I reflect on those days and my reaction to Paul’s death, I have such compassion for my parents. They were dealing with their own grief, but they were constantly barraged by mine. I swear it was months that I would make my trek downstairs to sob. I don’t believe there is an antidote for someone’s grief no matter what age, but the Children’s Department has many books that may help parents and children cope with its ravages. There are titles that address the process of funerals and cremation. What Happened to Daddy’s Body by Elke and Alex Barber explains what happens to the physical body after death. A Place in My Heart by Annette Aubrey helps children to learn how to hold onto a loved one’s memories. Something Very Sad Happened: A Toddler’s Guide to Understanding Death by Bonnie Zucker provides parents of younger children assistant in explaining this life change. Children often face the death of a pet before a family member. Titles like Good Bye Jeeper:What to Expect When Your Pet Dies by Nancy Loewen are a good choice. There are many fictional picture books that present ways for children to work through grief. Jim’s Dog Muffins by Miriam Cohen and Cat Heaven by Cynthia Rylant tackle this issue in a meaningful manner.

Dealing with difficult issues through books is called bibliotherapy. Having the ability to read to a child about death provides parents with the opportunity to separate from their own grief in order to further explain and acknowledge the child’s experience. We are all have to cope with grief whether an adult or child and the library provide Please do not hesitate to ask a librarian to help you wade through a difficult time.

Jean Todesca is the Head of Youth Services at the Morrill Memorial Library in Norwood, Massachusetts.  Read Jean’s article in the January 19, 2017 issue of the Norwood Transcript and Bulletin.