à la carte spirit by ilona fried
Identity
Feldenkrais and Freedom
“Without learning to know ourselves as intimately as we possibly can, we limit our choice. Life is not very sweet without freedom of choice.” – Moshe Feldenkrais Last fall, after a Rolfer advised me to wake up my left pinky toe to heal my tendonitis, I recommitted to daily foot exercises. Not long after, warming … 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
Trading Old for New, East for West
Sometimes the past visits in unexpected places. On Tuesday, I dropped off yet another donation of stuff. Normally, at this collection center, a brawny and frequently tattooed employee pushes a wheeled bin toward my car or approaches to help unload as I pull up. This time a slender man in his 60s ambled by as … Continue reading
Who Are We, Anyway?
Do I contradict myself? Very well, then, I contradict myself. I am large. I contain multitudes. – Walt Whitman My last post (New Diagnosis: Post Traumatic Stress Disorder), about clearing out stuff from the past, generated lively discussion in the comments and some questions from a reader: How much of “you” is made up of … Continue reading
à la carte spirit by ilona fried 
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