à la carte spirit by ilona fried
Authenticity
On the Perils of Unsolicited Advice
In our talk-centric culture, opinions are exchanged as unconsciously as oxygen molecules. Many people apparently enjoy conversations that more closely resemble ping-pong matches than genuine inquiry. For some, offering advice is a compulsive habit. Regardless of whether anyone is interested, they are like fountains that gurgle their viewpoints on humans within hearing distance or on social media. But many folks, even non-gurglers, often … Continue reading
Road Trip as Awareness Through Movement
“We do not say at the start what the final stage will be.” – Moshe Feldenkrais After my first month of Feldenkrais training in Santa Fe, I surprised myself by embarking on a road trip…at the last minute. Several weeks before I received an announcement for an evening of storytelling about Moshe Feldenkrais to honor the … Continue reading
Of Language, the Conquerors and the Conquered
Not long ago, I stepped inside Móntez Gallery, housed in an adobe church in the mountain village of Truchas, NM. Religious-themed artwork, of saints and madonnas, plus eclectic women’s clothing and other artifacts, adorned the walls of the cool, serene space. I asked the slender white haired man seated in a corner of the church whom he represented. “A … Continue reading
Identity and the iPhone
As a child, I loved getting the mail. I watched impatiently as the postman turned his vehicle onto our street, first delivering letters on the other side. Sometimes I stood at the edge of the driveway to track the truck’s progress as it lurched from one house to the next, the driver oblivious to my … Continue reading
Lessons from a Purim Mask
“There is a face beneath this mask, but it isn’t me. I’m no more that face than I am the muscles beneath it, or the bones beneath that.” ― Steve Moore, V for Vendetta Last night I celebrated Purim, the Jewish holiday commemorating the community’s survival in ancient Persia despite a plot to destroy it. … Continue reading
à la carte spirit by ilona fried 
Recent comments