à la carte spirit by ilona fried
Travel
How Many People, and Bulbs, Does It Take to Change a Light in Budapest?
Jet-lagged and dazed, I arrived to my Budapest rental on a rare sunny afternoon in early November. I’m revisiting a place I once called home and which evokes complicated emotions. On relatively short notice, I’d found a one-bedroom apartment through Homeaway.com. Paolo, the Italian property manager, greeted me when I stepped out of the taxi. I followed … Continue reading
Punctuality is About Energy, Too, Not Just Time
One of my earliest and most popular posts is Punctuality: It’s About Time. To recap, despite years of meditation, I still find it challenging to feel neutral about lapses in punctuality. I once believed that those who ran late lacked respect. Perhaps the issue, or my reaction, is more complex than that. A few weeks … Continue reading
Am I “Turning Japanese”?
A thought recently hit me over the head: many of the things I do, practice and love are Japanese. These include the Konmari method of decluttering with its emphasis on simplicity and joy, my practice of Zen meditation, my ongoing lust for sushi, my habit of drinking green tea and, most importantly, my recent foray into Aikido. The thought … Continue reading
Convoluted Kaddish for a Complicated Relation
[note: this post is 2-3 times longer than usual] “Oy, es iz shver tsu zayn a Yid!” — Oy, it’s hard to be a Jew The world changed in large and subtle ways in early November. The day before the U.S. election I received a short e-mail from a distant cousin in Munich. She told me that her … Continue reading
When a Flat Tire Inflates the Spirit
I’m spending some time in and around Ludlow, Vermont, “warming” a family member’s rental condo before the snow falls. Shortly before I drove here, the heater in my Subaru began clicking and whirring. I packed a wool blanket in case I ran into trouble and needed to wait for help. The other day, driving back to my temporary abode … Continue reading
à la carte spirit by ilona fried 
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