à la carte spirit by ilona fried
ilona fried
Is My iPhone an Introvert, Too? What it Takes to Recharge
When I unexpectedly stayed overnight in Marin County, CA, not long ago, I relied heavily on my iPhone. Its mapping software helped me drive to Sebastopol and, the next day, to navigate to Point Reyes National Seashore. Without my car charger, I noticed the phone’s battery drained quickly during the day, similar to what happens to this introvert when I’m overextended, … Continue reading
When Adventure Beckons, Pause. Then, Buy a Toothbrush.
Last weekend I attended a workshop at the Embodied Life School in Sebastopol, CA, in Marin County. It’s a 75 minute drive from San Francisco, the location of my Feldenkrais training program, far enough that I needed to rent a car, yet close enough that I couldn’t justify getting a room for the night. Marin, with its rolling hills and farmland that … Continue reading
Feldenkrais: Cartography of the Self
The map that is the unfolding self is not exactly leading anywhere. The arrow that says YOU ARE HERE is your first coordinate. – Jeanette Winterson I love maps, the paper kind that you can hold in your hand, that fold and unfold, revealing the layout of a place and how neighborhoods connect. Despite many declutterings, I’ve kept most … Continue reading
I Was Locked Out. Were Others Locked In?
In expensive cities such as Boulder and San Francisco, where unmarried adults often live together, some shared living arrangements resemble tumbler locks. For them to function properly, all the elements, or pins, have to align. These are the owner, the property, often the master tenant (the person who holds the lease), and the roommates (selected by the master tenant … Continue reading
On Giving Up Facebook for Eight Days
Despite my trepidation, refraining from Facebook for Passover proved to be a revealing exercise in awareness, therefore an excellent decision. During the first few days, I reflexively clicked on the Facebook URL in my browser history as if I were a caged rat conditioned to press a lever. Having logged out of Facebook the evening of April 3, I couldn’t … Continue reading
à la carte spirit by ilona fried 
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