à la carte spirit by ilona fried
Perfectionism
COVID Coping: Making Art with Mother Nature
“Instructions for living a life. Pay attention. Be astonished. Tell about it.”― Mary Oliver In early April, I wondered what I could do to keep myself from losing my mind during lockdown. I rustled through the file cabinet of memory to find something that could serve me now. For many years I made mosaic art. … Continue reading
Will COVID-19 Kill Perfectionism? I Hope So!
About ten days ago I co-hosted a Zoom meeting with a friend and client. It was my first time being in the role of presenter rather than audience, when I occasionally disable the video so that I can retain some privacy and not get distracted by how I look on screen. For this Zoom meeting, … 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
Dispatch from Barcelona “Base Camp”
The films of Pedro Almodovar captivated me when I was younger, especially “Women on a Verge of a Nervous Breakdown”. The actresses he hired for that movie did not have traditional looks. One, whose name I can’t recall, had a slightly bent nose, a narrow face, and huge asymmetrical red lips. I remember being enthralled … Continue reading
What’s Scarier than Public Speaking? An Aikido Rank Test
It’s a truism that many people fear public speaking more than death. I can safely say that an Aikido rank test is more terrifying than addressing a group of people. When I began practicing Aikido in early 2017, I sought an intense physical and spiritual challenge to lift me out of a dark place. I … Continue reading
à la carte spirit by ilona fried 
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