à la carte spirit by ilona fried
Thanksgiving
An Impromptu Feldenkrais Guide for the Holidays
The holidays can be complicated. Perhaps there is too much to do, purchase, cook, bake, eat, drink, decorate, wrap or prepare. Perhaps you’d rather do very few or even none of those things, yet opting out of the cultural whirl feels awkward and isolating when there are no satisfying substitutes. Perhaps you would like to … Continue reading
Goodbye, Gluttony! Dispatch from a Contemplative Thanksgiving
Despite my excitement at attending a contemplative, potluck Thanksgiving, anxiety hijacked my high spirits on Thursday as I loaded two pans of roasted vegetables and my folding meditation bench into my Subaru. In addition to garden variety worries about whether I’d enjoy the other people, I feared that the intention for a mindful gathering could … Continue reading
Turkey is Not a Synonym for Gratitude
I didn’t always dread Thanksgiving. Growing up in the 1970s and early 1980s, I looked forward to it. I loved the special dishes my mother prepared (sauteed mushrooms and onions being one). I enjoyed making relish, hand cranking cranberries and an orange, rind and all, through a metal meat grinder and watching it ooze red … Continue reading
To the Camino, with Gratitude
The last few nights I have dreamed that I was walking long distances outdoors; I guess the Camino is still rooted in my subconscious and in my body, which has been conditioned to keep moving. With no more yellow arrows to follow, will I take up sleepwalking?! Since it’s Thanksgiving, here are some appreciations, from … Continue reading
à la carte spirit by ilona fried 
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