à la carte spirit by ilona fried
Impermanence
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
Facing Fear, One Flip Turn at a Time
“Question your thoughts. Question your stories. Question your assumptions. Question your opinions. Question your conclusions…” – Adyashanti For years I had a story that I wasn’t a good swimmer. I had another story that I was afraid of swimming in open water. I assumed that to be a decent swimmer, one had to have to … Continue reading
A Tribute and a Request
In March, I wrote about the passing of Robyn Richey Piz, a fellow writer and co-founder of Salon Denver. She and her friend Christy Bailey invited me and a dozen others to this monthly gathering of writers to share works in progress and inspire each other. Some ‘salonistas’ who read that post had lovely things … Continue reading
Improv as Spiritual Practice
I just passed the half-way point of an improvisational acting class. It’s my first in many years, this time at Boulder Improv Collaborative, coached by Myles Goldin and Zac Chase. I enrolled out of a desire to have fun and practice spontaneity. While “practicing spontaneity” might sound like an oxymoron, it’s not. Some of us, … Continue reading
à la carte spirit by ilona fried 
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