May 21st column

Why not circle this idea?

   I haven’t been this excited since Abbadabba’s opened a store near Gwinnett Place and I no longer had to drive all the way to Little Five Points for my Birkenstocks. Anytime I can stay in Gwinnett and not have to drive to Atlanta, I’m thrilled. But this time I’m enjoying a double dose of pleasure.
   Two outdoor labyrinths are now open in Gwinnett County. No longer must I drive to St. Phillip’s Cathedral in Buckhead or Emory Presbyterian Church in Decatur.
   A labyrinth is an ancient symbol of wholeness and a means of meditation. It has only one path that leads to the center and out again. Serving as a metaphor for the journey of life, it provides a place for the psyche to meet the soul.
   Most labyrinths are affiliated with religious organizations, but the new labyrinth at Gwinnett Medical Center is the first hospital labyrinth in Metro Atlanta. Research has shown that these circular journeys are a form of complementary medicine, in which the healing elements of the labyrinth work with the curing elements of medication. Walking a labyrinth lowers blood pressure, slows the heart rate, slows breathing and reduces chronic pain. Many doctors prescribe the practice. (http://www.labyrinthonline.com/)
   GMC chaplain, Bob Duvall initiated the idea, but health education coordinator Betsy Wallace did the legwork. After visiting labyrinths all over the country, she chose the seven-circuit pattern at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore.
   The Gwinnett Health System's Auxiliary paid for the blue prints and coordinated volunteers to lay out the paths, which include 37 tons of donated slate trail mix.
   Many people think these circles of contemplation are just down the alley of right-brained introverts, but GMC resident chaplain Jennifer Fouse, an enthusiastic extrovert, said, “Meditation often intimidates people who are extroverts, but the act of walking gets extroverts into the center.”
   Labyrinths are sometimes out of bounds for people who travel in wheelchairs, but the GMC path is handicapped accessible. It doesn’t matter what shape your body is in. This is a journey of the mind. (Info: 678-442-2676)
   The other labyrinth at Simpsonwood Conference Center in Norcross is the brainchild of Tiara Collins, a student at Meadowcreek HS. While on a mission trip in Alaska, Collins experienced her first labyrinth walk and when she returned home, adopted it as her project for the Governor’s Honors Program.
   “She came to us in the fall with her design,” said Dr. Tommy Green, executive director of Simpsonwood. “We chose a place that is canopied by massive hardwoods with a view of the river. There will also be a prayer path leading up to it where people can donate bricks in memory of loved ones.” Vulcan Materials has donated rock for the project, which will soon be completed. (www.simpsonwood.org)
    I’m doubly glad for the two labyrinths in Gwinnett County. And I’m doubly glad to have Abbadabba’s nearby because I think I’ll soon be needing a new pair of Birks.  

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