Columnists, In Person

July 11th, 2021

Reading our life in common

By Alan Bodnar Ph.D.

There is nothing like the take-and-leave bookshelves at the local recycling center to remind us of who we are, where we’ve been, and where we’re headed. I have been...

June 26th, 2021

People tell me stories

By Alan Bodnar Ph.D.

People tell me stories. It’s not that I ask them to, they just do. Now this made sense when I was practicing psychology and people would come into the office for 50 minutes...

May 11th, 2021

Adventures in senior yoga

By Alan Bodnar Ph.D.

Ask any retired person and they will tell you that one of the best things about not reporting for work every day is the freedom to set your own schedule and finally get around...

April 12th, 2021

What I learned on the Mount Misery Trail

By Alan Bodnar Ph.D.

It was one of those perfect winter days, cold and clear with the bluest of blue skies above six inches of blindingly white snow that blanketed the frozen pond, the trail...

March 21st, 2021

Dispatch from the COVID-19 vaccine scheduling front

By Alan Bodnar Ph.D.

Dateline: February 25, 2021, the little room at the top of the stairs.

The little room at the top of the stairs is quiet now. The extra chair where my wife sat with her...

February 9th, 2021

Dear Mister President

By Alan Bodnar Ph.D.

Dear President Biden:

First of all, let me congratulate you on your inauguration as our nation’s 46th president. Eighty-one million of your fellow citizens expressed...

January 12th, 2021

What we learned from 2020

By Alan Bodnar Ph.D.

It is January again and time to bid farewell to the old year and welcome the new one with hope for better days ahead. We do this every year, and no matter what has gone before,...

December 7th, 2020

Giving thanks for the joy of a perfect morning

By Alan Bodnar Ph.D.

Sometimes in the morning when I have the house to myself, I leave it behind and set out for a walk in the woods. It’s a short drive to a wide dusty space just off the road...

November 6th, 2020

The way we live now

By Alan Bodnar Ph.D.

The dump or recycling center has long been a hub of social and civic engagement in the town where I have lived for the past 42 years. Recycling bins for every kind of material...

October 7th, 2020

You’re Not Alone: Pandemic Fatigue is Real

By John Grohol, Psy.D.

Pandemic fatigue is creeping into more and more of our lives.

As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to rage across the world, it’s getting harder and harder to continue...