My Abundant Life 4-4-26

April 4th, 2026

An Elegant Art: Learning That Less Is More

“For me, elegance is not to pass unnoticed but to get to the very soul of what one is.”

Christian Lacroix (French Fashion Designer; May 16th, 1951)

“…less is more.”

Robert Browning (English Poet and Playwright; May 7th, 1812 to December 12th, 1889)

“Elegance is the art of restraint.”

“What sets an elegant woman apart from the crowd is her quiet self-assurance, she knows that she is what’s worth focusing on…”

“The only real elegance is in the mind; if you’ve got that, the rest really comes from it.”

Diana Vreeland (American Fashion Editor and Columnist; September 9, 1923 to August 22nd, 1989)

“I am returning from my native journey feeling more of my authentic power and with that the elegance of my roots. I am the elegant woman…sexy, hot, fun chic!”


–Ban Breathnach, Sarah. “Simple Abundance: A Daybook of Comfort and Joy”. Grand Central Publishing. (1976). Kindle Page 106-107 of 501.

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

Daily Gratitude 4-3-26

April 3rd, 2026

  • “I am thankful to have taken vacation the last two days to soak up on my OKC experience and reconnect with my love, Neil.” (Heather Houston 4-3-26)
  • “I am grateful for an early morning grocery shopping trip so we could return to our Hobbit House and not deal with other people.” (Heather Houston 4-3-26)
  • “I am blessed to have a lounging day with my husband.” (Heather Houston 4-3-26)
  • “I am thankful for our chemistry experiments.” (Heather Houston 4-3-26)
  • “I love the extreme cuddle factor of my loving husband.” (Heather Houston 4-3-26)

  • “I adore waking up in my own bed after being away for a week. Our sheets are the softest ever!!!” (Heather Houston 4-3-22)
  • “I love spending the morning cuddling with my favorite human…Neil!💗” (Heather Houston 4-3-22)
  • “I love soaking up on doggie pets from our dog who thought I was missing while away on travel.” (Heather Houston 4-3-22)
  • “I am thankful the simplicity of cooking with my partner and creating yummy things to enjoy.” (Heather Houston 4-3-22)
  • “I appreciate that I have a laundry in my apartment to clean my clothes from a long week away.” (Heather Houston 4-3-22)

My Musical Life 4-3-26

April 3rd, 2026

#86 Time Has Come Today (The Chambers Brothers) 👍🏼

Lyrics:
Time has come today
Young hearts can go their way
Can’t put it off another day
I don’t care what others say
They say we don’t listen anyway
Time has come today
(Hey)🪄
Oh
The rules have changed today (Hey)
I have no place to stay (Hey)
I’m thinking about the subway (Hey)
My love has flown away (Hey)
My tears have come and gone (Hey)
Oh my Lord, I have to roam (Hey)
I have no home (Hey)
I have no home (Hey)🪄
Now the time has come (Time)
There’s no place to run (Time)
I might get burned up by the sun (Time)
But I had my fun (Time)
I’ve been loved and put aside (Time)
I’ve been crushed by the tumbling tide (Time)
And my soul has been psychedelicized (Time)🪄
Now the time has come (Time)
There are things to realize (Time)
Time has come today (Time)
Time has come today (Time)🪄
Time
Time
Time
Time
Time
Time
Time
Time
Time
Time
Time🪄
Oh
Now the time has come (Time)
There’s no place to run (Time)
I might get burned up by the sun (Time)
But I had my fun (Time)
I’ve been loved and put aside (Time)
I’ve been crushed by tumbling tide (Time)
And my soul has been psychedelicized (Time)🪄
Now the time has come (Time)
There are things to realize (Time)
Time has come today (Time)
Time has come today (Time)🪄
Time
Time
Time
Time

My Abundant Life 4-3-26

April 3rd, 2026

Secret Lives: Gleaning Tips from Our Imaginary Selves

“Inside myself is a place where I live all alone and that’s where you renew your springs that never dry up.”

Pearl S. Buck (American Writer and Novelist; June 26th, 1892 ~ March 6th, 1973)

“Each of us leads many lives vicariously and often simultaneously. By acknowledging our secret lives and tapping into the wisdom of our imaginary alter egos, we can glean tips to help us develop our own personal sense of style.”

“Now write down who you’d be if not you. Now write down your secret selves.”

“Before my story began…” (Heather Houston 4-3-22)

1972 Me…at my Aunt Carrie’s Baby Shower

–Ban Breathnach, Sarah. “Simple Abundance: A Daybook of Comfort and Joy”. Grand Central Publishing. (1976). Kindle Page 105-106 of 501.

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

Daily Gratitude 4-2-26

April 2nd, 2026

  • “I appreciate my husbands organized mind to arrange our day so perfectly to reconnect and loe on one another.” (Heather Houston 4-2-26)
  • “I appreciate chemistry…access to new worlds and journey’s with my co-pilot!💖” (Heather Houston 4-2-26)
  • “I am grateful for having plenty of Powerade on hand to combat the dehydration.” (Heather Houston 4-2-26)
  • “I am grateful for the most loving husband EVER!” (Heather Houston 4-2-26)
  • “I am thankful Kiva cuddles at night in the well of my knees.” (Heather Houston 4-2-26)

  • “I appreciate my Lyft driver being prompt and friendly on my ride to the airport.” (Heather Houston 4-2-22)
  • “I am thankful I made found a pub in the airport to have lunch before my flight home.” (Heather Houston 4-2-22)
  • “I am grateful I was in a 2-person section on the plane and that my seatmate was masked the whole trip.” (Heather Houston 4-2-22)
  • “I am grateful my partner picked me up at the airport as I missed him so much!” (Heather Houston 4-2-22)
  • “I love that our dog was beside himself with excitement to see me return home.” (Heather Houston 4-2-22)

My Musical Life 4-2-26

April 2nd, 2026

#85 Cab Driver (The Mills Brothers) 👍🏼

Lyrics:
Cab driver, drive by Mary’s place
I just wanna chance to see her face
Don’t stop the meter let it race
Cab driver, drive by Mary’s place🪄
Cab driver, once more ’round the block
Never mind the ticket or the clock
I only wish we could have a talk
Cab driver, once more ’round the block🪄
Cab driver, once more down the street
There’s a little place we used to eat
That’s where I laid my future at her feet
Cab driver, once more down the street🪄
Cab driver, wait here by the door
Perhaps I’ll hold her in my arms once more
Then things will be just like they were before
Cab driver, wait here by her door🪄
Cab driver, you’d better take me home
I guess that I was meant to be alone
I hope God sends me a love one of my own
Cab driver, better take me home
Cab driver, better take me home
Cab driver, better take me home

My Abundant Life 4-2-26

April 2nd, 2026

Verve: The Secret of Personal Style

“The soul should always stand ajar, ready to welcome the ecstatic experience.”

Emily Elizabeth Dickinson (American poet; December 10th, 1830 ~ May 15th, 1886)

“Verve is the special ability or talent to pull something off with panache, from a fabulous outfit to an exquisite couplet of poetry. Verve comes into our lives when we dinally trust our instincts. When we take riskes and they payy off. Verve is passion. It’s also the secret of personal style. Verve is focused creative energy, a sense of vitality or zest.”

“And how do we learn to develop a finey honed sense of verve? By paying attention to the details. By accepting each day’s attempt to teach us more about our authenticity. By being constantly on the lookout for the ecstatic experience: what excited us or moves us to tears, what makes the blood rush to our head, our hearts skip a beat, our knees shaky, and our souls sigh.”

“Before my story began…” (Heather Houston 4-2-22)

1972 Me…at my Aunt Carrie’s Baby Shower

“I need to be bold in my exploration of my style to find the balance between panache and simplicity.” (Heather Houston 4-2-22)

“I am finding my style lives in fusion. I love eating in fusion, so why not in my style too. I need to undress this to find out what fusion style means to me authentically.” (Heather Houston 4-2-26)


–Ban Breathnach, Sarah. “Simple Abundance: A Daybook of Comfort and Joy”. Grand Central Publishing. (1976). Kindle Page 104-105 of 501.

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

Daily Gratitude 4-1-26

April 1st, 2026

  • “I am grateful for the chance to connect with Hoopa kin and connect in a profound way in shared community.” (Heather Houston 4-1-26)
  • “I am thankful my flight to Seattle departed before the huge tornado storm hit OKC.” (Heather Houston 4-1-26)
  • “I appreciate my husband picking me up from the airport upon my arrival to Seattle.” (Heather Houston 4-1-26)
  • “I am blessed to have such a loving husband to wait to celebrate my birthday after my return from tracvel with flowers, Penang Chicken, LOVE and a magical chocolate cake. I love you so HARD!💘” (Heather Houston 4-1-26)
  • “I appreciate so much my own bed and pillow after a few days of travel.” (Heather Houston 4-1-26)

  • “I am thankful I did not get pranked on April 1st.” (Heather Houston 4-1-22)
  • “I am blessed to be able to enjoy another Mai Tai at The Lanai on my last play day in Hawaii.” (Heather Houston 4-1-22)
  • “I am thankful to have been taken to the Mermaid Caves as they were amazing!” (Heather Houston 4-1-22)
  • “I am grateful to have been given a whole box of strawberries🍓 free.” (Heather Houston 4-1-22)
  • “I appreciate my hotel is near a mall so I could find food easily without needing a car.” (Heather Houston 4-1-22)

My Musical Life 4-1-26

April 1st, 2026

#84 If You Can Want (Smokey Robinson & The Miracles) 👍🏼

Lyrics:
Oh
Oh, you may not love me now but I’m stayin’ around
‘Cause you want my company
Just like push can turn to shove, like can turn to love
And it’s my philosophy that
If you can want, you can need
And if you can need, you can care
If you can care, you can love
When you want me I’ll be there
Whenever you want me, I’ll be there
Oh, now this may take some time, but if time was money
I would be a millionaire
So whenever you want me call, any time at all
And for sure I’ll be right there, ’cause
If you can want, you can need
And if you can need, baby, you can care
If you can care, you can love
So when you want me I’ll be there
(I’ll be there) when ever you want me, oh yeah
I’ll be standin’ by, not far way
Let your mind give me a sign
‘Cause I’m prepared to wait until that future date
When you’ll want me all the time, ’cause
If you can want, you can need
And if you can need, you can care
If you can care, you can love
So when you want me I’ll be there
(I’ll be there) when ever you want me
You can want, you can need
You can need, you can care
You can care, you can love
So when you want me I’ll be there
I’ll be there, whenever you want me (you can want)

My Abundant Life 4-1-26

April 1st, 2026

“April, the Angel of the Months.”

Vita Mary Sackerville-West, Lady Nicolson, CH (Known as: Vita Sackville-West) (English Author and Garden Designer; March 9th, 1892 ~ June 2nd, 1962)

Playing Dress-Up: Empowering Your Authentic Self with Fun

“Learn the craft of knowing how to open your heart and to turn on your creativity. There’s a light inside of you.”

Judith Ann Jamison (American Dancer and choreographer; May 10th, 1943 ~ )

“What the heck! The delights of self-discovery are always available.”

Gail Sheely (American Author, Journalist, and Lecturer; November 27th, 1936 ~August 24th, 2020)

“Before my story began…” (Heather Houston 4-1-22)

1972 Me…at my Aunt Carrie’s Baby Shower

“Spring has arrived, time to go through my closet and look at my clothes newly.” (Heather Houston 4-1-22)

“Today wearing my NICWA Conference shirt in native community was powerful. I saw so many relatives wearing items I have rotated in and out of my closet over time. Reassuring that my authentic self speaks to me in this way. Soaking up on as much as I can on the last day of the conference.” (Heather Houston 4-1-26)


–Ban Breathnach, Sarah. “Simple Abundance: A Daybook of Comfort and Joy”. Grand Central Publishing. (1976). Kindle Page 103-104 of 501.

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