à la carte spirit by ilona fried
ilona fried
Spring Rituals and Lessons for Writing (and vice versa)
While buying a box of matzah a few days ago, I remembered that one of the purposes of this unleavened product is to instruct the eater to be humble and not let the ego run the show…at least for the eight days of Passover, if not longer. Good writing also demands we put our egos … Continue reading
Trashing Clichés
I took out the trash today. “So what?” you say. And that, to any spiritual gurus who might be reading, is exactly my point. Not long ago I was listening to a recorded interview of a seeker/guru/author who said something like, “Even if you have an enlightenment experience (on retreat), once you’re home you still … Continue reading
Do You ___ate?
While hiking last week it popped into my head that “evolve” does not capture the process of personal growth as well as the term evolvulate might. What I like about many of the “___ate” words (in addition to the fact that they suggest eating), is that they imply a repetitive and/or cyclical activity or … Continue reading
Don’t Over “Too” It
I’m starting to believe that “too” is actually a four letter word, to be uttered only when absolutely necessary. Over the last several years, I’ve meditated almost daily and have been on a few week-long retreats. While I’ve never entered a blissful or altered state, the practice has given me some distance from the chatter … Continue reading
Meet My Guru: Handstand (Part II)
I shared the news of my out-of-the-blue handstand with my yoga teacher the following week. The moment the words flew out of my mouth, I knew I should have kept mum. “Great!” she beamed. “Let’s see you do it today.” Nothing can kill handstand like performance anxiety. Midway through class, she had us bring our … Continue reading
à la carte spirit by ilona fried 
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