à la carte spirit by ilona fried
Healing
Are There “Accidents”?
“Were you in an accident?” asked the chunky, spiky haired masseuse at my physical therapist’s office as I lay on a table. She was working on my left foot and leg, per her boss’ instructions. “No,” I said. “I walked more than 500 miles.” And maybe trekking that distance, in my case, created physical effects … Continue reading
The Price of Finishing
“Where are you heading?” asked the man seated next to me in the scenic car as Amtrak‘s California Zephyr rumbled across Illinois. I was multitasking — peering out the window while reviewing photos on my laptop — and glanced over. With his worn sweater, baggy pants and bug-shaped eyeglasses that harkened from the 1980s, he … Continue reading
Almost there…but who is counting?
Santiago is 790 kilometers from St. Jean Pied de Port (France), where I started the Camino. Signs along the way proclaim the kilometers remaining. When the numbers were in the high triple digits, I ignored them, unlike other Pilgrims who photographed some if not all of these markers. Frankly, it was too depressing to contemplate … Continue reading
Limping Along, Together
At this moment, I´m somewhere in the middle of Spain’s meseta, a vast area of gently rolling farmland, in varied shades of yellow, gold, green and brown. Compared to the first and final thirds of the Camino, it is relatively flat. For some, the lack of ups and downs is boring, a section worth skipping … Continue reading
Cleaning up a Creek, Cleaning up Karma
Lured by a free breakfast, lunch and an REI t-shirt, I volunteered to help clean up the Sand Creek Regional Greenway, 25 minutes from my Denver apartment. In theory, picking up other people’s garbage is not appealing; in reality, it was revealing. Armed with hats, work gloves and black and orange bags (for trash and … Continue reading
à la carte spirit by ilona fried 
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