à la carte spirit by ilona fried
gratitude
When Gratitude Turns to Greed in Less Than an Internet Minute
Just a week ago, I felt enormous gratitude that The Wisdom Daily decided to invest time and resources to adapt one of my articles to a short video. My essay about Moshe Feldenkrais, written six months ago, was no longer at the forefront of my mind. In the Internet age, most content arises and then disappears … Continue reading
The Perils of Travel (and Food) Snobbery
Comparison is the thief of joy. – Theodore Roosevelt As a fairly well-traveled person with an educated palate, I once took pride in having sampled authentic cuisine in dozens of places around the world. Too much pride, at times. Having tasted what I thought was “the best” or “the truest”, I couldn’t comprehend how many Americans enjoyed meals that … Continue reading
Road Trip as American Camino: The Upside of Uncertainty
The question I posed at the end of Road Trip as American Camino (Part I), was: Could I find the essence of Europe’s Camino on the iconic American road trip, or was that simply a foolish proposition? To enter into uncertainty creates the possibility of surprise. Whether that’s perceived as an upside or a downside depends on … Continue reading
Flooded with Gratitude
The flooding in Boulder, CO and surrounding communities has killed a few people, ruined roads and displaced multitudes. Countless others bail water and dispose of sewage contaminated carpets and furnishings as the rain continues to fall. Being on a flood plain, many are uninsured for such a calamity, one that continues to unfold, whose final … Continue reading
Now Playing: Spiritual Ping-Pong
My internal experience reminds me of Ping-Pong. On one side of the net is gratitude, well-being and acceptance. On the other is, as Zen monk Cheri Huber points out, ego’s insidious chorus of “something is wrong” or “not enough”. And my attention is the ball, bouncing over the net between the two sides, or flying … Continue reading
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