The Meditate Mass 351 Challenge was my spiritual practice to visit each of the 351 Massachusetts cities and towns. I started it in 2011 and finished it in Spring 2018. I had two criteria to count as one of the 351:
- I had to actually be in the town and either meditate/pray/sit/walk quietly for at least 10 minutes. This made it so I couldn’t count places that I’m drove through on the Massachusetts Turnpike (Yup, just picked up Blandford!)
- I had to take a picture of me in front of a landmark or building that would only be in that town (e.g. post office, town hall, police station, etc.) It didn’t have to be a government building, but at least one where there was no mistaking where it is. For example, I could choose Durgin Park or Fanueil Hall in Boston. It also meant I couldn’t just step over the border 3 feet and sit for 10 minutes. I had to find where the life of the town is.
I didn’t have a time limit, but this is a practice in intention. I had some big gaps in my trips, as I initially started by doing a blog post for each town, but that got to be too overwhelming, and I finished up with doing the last 80 or so from my Instagram account with the #mm351 hashtag.
I’m planning on doing a project of some sort where I bring all of the information together that I gathered. Massachusetts is a very diverse state in many ways, and I want to show some of the interesting parts of it. Look out for more blog posts with my thoughts.
Here’s where I’ve been so far!
- #1 – 27 November 2011: Sherborn
- #2 – 28 November 2011: Boston
- #3 – 30 November 2011: Arlington
- #4 – 4 December 2011: Cambridge
- #5 – 11 December 2011: Ludlow
- #6 – 18 December 2011: Winchester
- #7 – 23 December 2011: Brookline
- #8 – 25 December 2011: Upton
- #9 – 25 December 2011: Hopkinton
- #10 – 26 December 2011: Lexington
- #11 – 1 January 2012: Wilbraham
- #12 – 2 January 2012: Belmont
- #13 – 2 January 2012: Waltham
- #14 – 7 January 2012: Somerville
- #15 – 23 January 2012: Newton
- #16 – 6 February 2012: Needham
- #17 – 12 February 2012: Lincoln
- #18 – 19 February 2012: Medford
- #19 – 20 February 2012: Watertown
- #20 – 4 March 2012: Holland
- #21 – 4 March 2012: Sturbridge
- #22 – 17 March 2012: Melrose
- #23 – 17 March 2012: Malden
- #24 – 18 March 2012: Stoneham
- #25 – 7 April 2012: Northborough
- #26 – 8 April 2012: Westborough
- #27 – 8 April 2012: Southborough
- #28 – 15 April 2012: Concord
- #29 – 15 April 2012: Carlisle
- #30 – 15 April 2012: Bedford
- #31 – 15 April 2012: Burlington
- #32 – 21 April 2012: Mansfield
- #33 – 22 April 2012: Foxborough
- #34 – 20 May 2012: Grafton
- #35 – 26 May 2012: Newbury
- #36 – 26 May 2012: West Newbury
- #37 – 26 May 2012: Merrimac
- #38 – 26 May 2012: Amesbury
- #39 – 26 May 2012: Salisbury
- #40 – 26 May 2012: Newburyport
- #41 – 1 June 2012: West Stockbridge
- #42 – 3 June 2012: Alford
- #43 – 3 July 2012: Saugus
- #44 – 14 July 2012: Provincetown
- #45 – 15 July 2012: Truro
- #46 – 21 July 2012: Northbridge
- #47 – 21 July 2012: Ashland
- #48 – 1 September 2012: Rowe
- #49 – 2 September 2012: Monroe
- #50 – 2 September 2012: Heath
- #51 – 3 September 2012: Colrain
- #52 – 23 September 2012: Haverhill
- #53 – 23 September 2012: Methuen
- #54 – 23 September 2012: Lawrence
- #55 – 6 October 2012: Orange
- #56 – 6 October 2012: Erving
- #57 – 6 October 2012: Northfield
- #58 – 6 October 2012: Warwick
- #59 – 6 October 2012: Royalston
- #60 – 6 October 2012: Athol
- #61 – 14 October 2012: Sudbury
- #62 – 20 November 2012: Dracut
- #63 – 20 November 2012: Lowell
- #64 – 22 November 2012: Wellesley
- #65 – 22 November 2012: Dover
- #66 – 22 December 2012: Stoughton
- #67 – 22 December 2012: Easton
- #68 – 26 December 2012: Billerica
- #69 – 12 January 2013: Avon
- #70 – 12 January 2013: Abington
- #71 – 10 February 2013: Woburn
- #72 – 23 February 2013: Weston
- #73 – 23 February 2013: Wayland
- #74 – 16 March 2013: Quincy
- #75 – 31 March 2013: Acton
- #76 – 13 April 2013: Chelmsford
- #77 – 21 April 2013: Sharon
- #78 – 21 April 2013: Walpole
- #79 – 21 April 2013: Norwood
- #80 – 5 May 2013: Southbridge
- #81 – 5 May 2013: Charlton
- #82 – 5 May 2013: Auburn
- #83 – 5 May 2013: Millbury
- #84 – 11 May 2013: Shrewsbury
- #85 – 11 May 2013: Hudson
- #86 – 11 May 2013: Stow
- #87 – 15 June 2013: Plainville
- #88 – 15 June 2013: North Attleborough
- #89 – 15 June 2013: Attleborough
- #90 – 16 June 2013: Blackstone
- #91 – 16 June 2013: Millville
- #92 – 16 June 2013: Uxbridge
- #93 – 16 June 2013: Douglas
- #94 – 22 June 2013: Tewksbury
- #95 – 7 July 2013: Palmer
- #96 – 7 July 2013: Monson
- #97 – 7 July 2013: Brimfield
- #98 – 21 July 2013: Worcester
- #99 – 17 August 2013: Greenfield
- #100 – 18 August 2013: Amherst
- #101 – 18 August 2013: Leverett
- #102 – 18 August 2013: Montague
- #103 – 30 August 2013: Buckland
- #104 – 30 August 2013: Shelburne
- #105 – 2 September 2013: Charlemont
- #106 – 2 September 2013: Gill
- #107 – 2 September 2013: Phillipston
- #108 – 29 September 2013: Bolton
- #109 – 29 September 2013: Clinton
- #110 – 12 October 2013: Sunderland
- #111 – 12 October 2013: Conway
- #112 – 12 October 2013: Ashfiled
- #113 – 12 October 2013: Deerfield
- #114 – 13 October 2013: Pelham
- #115 – 13 October 2013: Shutesbury
- #116 – 13 October 2013: New Salem
- #117 – 13 October 2013: Petersham
- #118 – 13 October 2013: Templeton
- #119 – 18 October 2013: Russell
- #120 – 18 October 2013: Huntington
- #121 – 18 October 2013: Becket
- #122 – 20 October 2013: Washington
- #123 – 20 October 2013: Hinsdale
- #124 – 20 October 2013: Middlefield
- #125 – 20 October 2013: Chester
- #126 – 20 October 2013: Westfield
- #127 – 27 October 2013: Salem
- #128 – 8 December 2013: Wales
- #130 – 25 December 2013 – Framingham
- #131 – 25 December 2013 – Natick
- #132 – 31 May 2014 – Spencer
- #133 – 31 May 2014 – Leicester
- #134 – 31 May 2014 – East Brookfield
- #135 – 11 October 2014 – Westford
- #136 – 17 October 2014 – Easthampton
- #137 – 17 October 2014 – Westhampton
- #138 – 17 October 2014 – Southampton
- #139 – 17 October 2014 – Montgomery
- #140 – 19 October 2014 – Otis
- #141 – 19 October 2014 – Blandford
- #142 – 24 November 2014 – Hamilton
- #143 – 24 November 2014 – Wenham
- #144 – 7 March 2015 – Holyoke
- #145 – 7 March 2015 – Chicopee
- #146 – 7 March 2015 – Warren
- #147 – 7 March 2015 – West Brookfield
- #148 – 7 March 2015 – Brookfield
- #149 – 17 May 2015 – Boxborough
- #150 – 25 May 2015 – Williamstown
- #151 – 25 May 2015 – Florida
- #152 – 6 July 2015 – Norwell
- #153 – 6 July 2015 – Scituate
- #154 – 6 July 2015 – Cohasset
- #155 – 6 July 2015 – Hull
- #156 – 6 July 2015 – Hingham
- #157 – 11 July 2015 – Nahant
- #158 – 11 July 2015 – Lynn
- #159 – 11 July 2015 – Swampscott
- #160 – 11 July 2015 – Marblehead
- #161 – 19 July 2015 – Boxford
- #162 – 19 July 2015 – Topsfield
- #163 – 19 July 2015 – Rowley
- #164 – 19 July 2015 – Ipswich
- #165 – 19 July 2015 – Essex
- #166 – 19 July 2015 – Rockport
- #167 – 25 July 2015 – Wareham
- #168 – 27 July 2015 – Richmond
- #169 – 27 July 2015 – Hancock
- #170 – 27 July 2015 – Pittsfield
- #171 – 27 July 2015 – Dalton
- #172 – 27 July 2015 – Lanesborough
- #173 – 27 July 2015 – New Ashford
- #174 – 9 August 2015 – Fitchburg
- #175 – 9 August 2015 – Ashburnham
- #176 – 9 August 2015 – Winchendon
- #177 – 15 August 2015 – Berkley
- #178 – 15 August 2015 – Freetown
- #179 – 15 August 2015 – Dighton
- #180 – 15 August 2015 – Somerset
- #181 – 15 August 2015 – Swansea
- #182 – 15 August 2015 – Fall River
- #183 – 15 August 2015 – Seekonk
- #184 – 16 August 2015 – Sterling
- #185 – 15 August 2015 – West Boylston
- #186 – 15 August 2015 – Boylston
- #187 – 15 August 2015 – Berlin
- #188 – 22 August 2015 – Barre
- #189 – 22 August 2015 – Hardwick
- #190 – 22 August 2015 – New Braintree
- #191 – 22 August 2015 – North Brookfield
- #192 – 22 August 2015 – Oakham
- #193 – 22 August 2015 – Rutland
- #194 – 22 August 2015 – Paxton
- #195 – 22 August 2015 – Holden
- #196 – 22 August 2015 – Princeton
- #197 – 22 August 2015 – Hubbardston
- #198 – 22 August 2015 – Gardner
- #199 – 22 August 2015 – Westminster
- #200 – 22 August 2015 – Shirley
- #201 – 22 August 2015 – Ayer
- #202 – 29 August 2015 – Leyden
- #203 – 29 August 2015 – Wendell
- #204 – 4 September 2015 – Hawley
- #205 – 4 September 2015 – Plainfield
- #206 – 4 September 2015 – Savoy
- #207 – 4 September 2015 – Windsor
- #208 – 4 September 2015 – Cheshire
- #209 – 4 September 2015 – Adams
- #210 – 4 September 2015 – North Adams
- #211 – 4 September 2015 – Clarksburg
- #212 – 7 September 2015 – Harvard
- #213 – 3 October 2015 – Wakefield
- #214 – 22 November 2015 – Leominster
- #215 – 22 November 2015 – Lancaster
- #216 – 24 November 2015 – Groton
- #217 – 24 November 2015 – Dunstable
- #218 – 6 February 2016 – Sutton
- #219 – 20 August 2016 – Westport
- #220 – 17 September 2016 – Carver
- #221 – 14 October 2016 – Hampden
- #222 – 14 October 2016 – East Longmeadow
- #223 – 14 October 2016 – Longmeadow
- #224 – 17 October 2016 – Peru
- #225 – 17 October 2016 – Worthington
- #226 – 17 October 2016 – Cummington
- #227 – 17 October 2016 – Chesterfield
- #228 – 17 October 2016 – Goshen
- #229 – 17 October 2016 – Williamsburg
- #230 – 17 October 2016 – Northampton