à la carte spirit by ilona fried
nature
When Ladybugs Bring Luck. And Death.
Instructions for living a life: Pay attention. Be astonished. Tell about it. – Mary Oliver As I stood at the kitchen sink on a sunny Sunday afternoon in mid-October, a ladybug* crawling along a window screen punctured my reverie. I went outside to take a closer look. Ladybugs are considered messengers of good luck, and I … Continue reading
Want to Go Far? Don’t Push. Play!
“How far did you get?” The young woman asking me this question worked at a pop-up boat rental operation in Western Massachusetts. I had just rented a kayak for an hour, my first time in such a watercraft. I had been wanting to try kayaking for a while, yet whenever the impulse arose, the long-ago … Continue reading
With Money on My Mind, It Slipped from My Sight
If someone had observed me as I traveled in Spain, they might have wondered why I gave myself several TSA-style pat downs daily. Before leaving an AirBnB, exiting a pool locker room, restaurant or museum, or at any moment of transition, I’d double or triple check my zippered pockets – of my pants, jacket or … Continue reading
Of Feldenkrais, Goldsworthy and Forging New Pathways
We act in accordance with our self-image – Moshe Feldenkrais I first learned about the environmental artist Andy Goldsworthy from a life coach many years ago. At the time, I was about to leave a consulting job in a toxic work environment to do….well, I wasn’t sure what I’d do next. I just knew I … Continue reading
Feldenkrais Off the Mat: Awareness Through Mushrooms
The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes, but in having new eyes. – Marcel Proust It’s quite easy to live somewhere and stop seeing it. If a person is distracted, preoccupied, rushed, or hyper focused, or if their mind has told them that “there is nothing to see” or “they’ve seen it … Continue reading
Recent comments