à la carte spirit by ilona fried
Courage
Shambhala, Too
It’s been revealed that the Shambhala Buddhist “Emperor”, Sakyong Mipham Rinpoche, has no clothes. An in depth investigative report, spearheaded by a former member of the Shambhala community months before the #MeToo movement made headlines, has turned up searing and horrifying stories of abuse of power, including sexualized violence, over a period of decades. Sadly, I am not … Continue reading
Oh, the Places You’ll Go! HuffPo?!
As some of you know, my recent piece, An Open Letter to Ivanka Trump from One Daughter to Another, was published on The Huffington Post. It first appeared in the unindexed, unsearchable contributors’ section, sort of a virtual slush pile. Then an editor highlighted some quotes and posted it on the political blog, a place I never expected to see … Continue reading
An Open Letter to Ivanka Trump from One Daughter to Another
Dear Ms. Trump, I, too, am a daughter of a complex if not difficult man, a man who, while he had loyal friends, trusted colleagues and loving family, was not universally understood or appreciated. He is no longer alive but, if he were, he might agree with some of your father’s political positions. I watched with curiosity as you introduced your father to the Republican … Continue reading
“Sugar Coated” Tells the Tough Truth, Sweetly
You know Doublemint gum? Here’s my “Double Disclaimer”: I’m biased, both against the prevalence of sugar in the food landscape and towards Cristin Kearns, my friend who’s featured in the Canadian film “Sugar Coated” (2016 winner of the Donald Britain award for best social/political documentary). Therefore, you might chew on the following with a grain of salt, a pinch of paprika or a dash of … Continue reading
Facing a Frantic Bird, Facing Fear
I love being in nature and observing wildlife; that helps me feel centered and connected to the cosmos. When wildlife comes indoors, however, inner peace flies out the window. I morph from a quiet, harmony seeking human to a frantic, freaking-out idiot. To wit: years ago a bat entered my third floor apartment when I lived in Somerville, … Continue reading
à la carte spirit by ilona fried 
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