February 1st, 2026

Creative Excursions: The Gift of Time

“I celebrate myself, and sing myself

I loathe and invite my soul…”

Walter Whitman (American Poet, Essayist and Journalist; May 31st, 1819 ~ March 26th, 1892)

“Creative excursions are regular solo rendezvous with your authentic self designed for this purpose. In the beginning of any intimate relationship the best gift you can offer another person is the investment of quality time together. So it is with your authentic self.”

“When you embark on creative excursions, your authentic self will lovingly reveal to you the beautiful mystery that is you. This occurs spontaneously as you make the pursuit of personal growth a sacred endeavor.”

“Creative excursions require an investment of time, not money.”

“…once we realize that nurturing our imaginations and developing a relationship with our authentic selves is an investment we can no longer afford to put off.”

My Bucket List

“Well, wouldn’t you know it, I did it again. Putting off what I should do. UGH! No more. Working on my resume now!!!” (Heather Houston 2-1-22)

“I have added a weekly creative excursion to my calendar on Fridays so I an reconnect to my authentic self and pay amends to her for not nurturing this part of her deep desire. This could be anything that will dedicate time to my authentic self…small or large…alone or with my husband. The point is to take time each week to acknowledge and feed my soul. It feels a bit selfish, and I am learning to put myself first after a lifetime of placing myself last or not at all. I am blessed my husband supports me in this general idea of filling my cup first before filling others. Part of this commitment will include rewatching or watching for the first time films throughout my lifetime. I think rewatching these films will bring up fond memories of times in the past as well as seeing them newly with my new outlook on life.” (Heather Houston 2-1-26)

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–Ban Breathnach, Sarah. “Simple Abundance: A Daybook of Comfort and Joy”. Grand Central Publishing. (1976). Kindle Page 35-36 of 501.

I challenge each of you on this blog series to post comments so we all can grow together.