Eleanor Roosevelt once said, “Do one thing every day that scares you.” I’m thinking today takes care of at least a month of those. I have decided not to continue my blog, Beyond Blue, past the month of April. I have thought and prayed and thought and prayed some more, and come to the decision...

I was all set to interview Eric Swanson, coauthor (with Yongey Mingur Rinpoche) of “Joyful Wisdom: Embracing Change and Find Freedom,” when I realized that my main question–“Can you give me some concrete steps to quiet the mind?”–was already addressed in his book. So he and Harmony Books graciously gave me permission to reprint parts...