à la carte spirit by ilona fried
Camino de Santiago
Do You Dance with Fear or Trust?
“The only thing we have to fear is fear itself.” – Franklin D. Roosevelt Before I moved to Colorado from Massachusetts, I called a UPS Store in Denver to arrange a mailbox rental until I had an address. The guy on the phone asked me for my name and phone number to reserve it. His … Continue reading
Stuff is Not a Synonym for Abundance
I once heard some spiritual advice that went something like this: if you were not surrounded with objects you love, it was a sign you were “blocking abundance”. The statement might contain a nugget of truth; perhaps some people don’t believe they deserve to have what pleases them, and they live in a state of … Continue reading
New Diagnosis: Post Traumatic Stuff Disorder
Post Traumatic Stuff Disorder: When Cluttered Environments Trigger Anxiety and Dread Each night along the Camino de Santiago, I sorted and organized the contents of my backpack, leaving behind what I no longer needed. Sometimes all I threw away were cheese rinds and Band-Aid wrappers, essentially weightless, taking up little space. Other times I left … Continue reading
Silent Retreat: A Sedentary Camino
“The longest journey you will make in your life is from your head to your heart” – Sioux legend In December, friends offered to host a four day, mostly silent meditation retreat at their mountain home. For a modest fee, they’d provide lunch, snacks and facilitation; we could bring breakfast and dinner if we chose … Continue reading
Turkey is Not a Synonym for Gratitude
I didn’t always dread Thanksgiving. Growing up in the 1970s and early 1980s, I looked forward to it. I loved the special dishes my mother prepared (sauteed mushrooms and onions being one). I enjoyed making relish, hand cranking cranberries and an orange, rind and all, through a metal meat grinder and watching it ooze red … Continue reading
à la carte spirit by ilona fried 
Recent comments