February 12th, 2026

Once Upon A Time You Trusted Yourself

“Just trust yourself, then you will know how to live.”

Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (German Poet, Playwright, Novelist, Scientist, Statesman, Theatre Director, and Critic; August 28th, 1749 ~ March 22nd, 1832)

“Today, try to find a photograph of yourself when you were about ten…Send love to that young girl. Try to travel back in time and imagination. See yourself at ten: at home, at school, and at play.”

“…age ten was probably the last time you trusted your instincts. You didn’t listen to the opinions of your mother, your sister, or your friends because you had your own.”

“Try to contact the girl you once were. She’s all grown up now. She’s your authentic delf and she’s waiting to remind you how beautiful, accomplished, and extraordinary you really are.”

“The task today was to find a picture of myself when I was ten. The idea is that at ten we still trusted our instincts and didn’t let the opinions of others rule us. Regrettably, my story began at three or four-years old, so I had many stories by the time I hit ten. I included a picture when I was 4, which is likely the time when I last trusted myself. The other picture are closer to ten, but I was already manipulating myself by what I imagined others thought of me.“ (Heather Houston 2-12-22)

“See yourself at ten: at home, at school, and at play.” (Heather Houston 2-12-22)

• “Where did you live?”
  • 1324 Sunny Drive, Eugene, OR. 97404
• “Can you see your house or apartment, and the street?”
  • Yes. Hedges lined the yard perimeter. An ancient golden locus tree in the front yard. The 2-Story garage in the side yard. The fat backyard had 2 filbert trees and a huge garden. A rock garden was nearest the house in the center of the backyard. Raspberry bushes lined the edge of the backyard with the far backyard. The street we a dead end and our house was located halfway down the length of the drive.
• “Walk through your rooms in your childhood home. What did your bedroom look like?”
  • My room had oak floors. My bed was a separated bunk bed with drawers along the sides. I had a white bedspread with bright pink and orange butterflies printed on it. I had a small round wooden table, made by my father, with 4 red plastic chairs in the corner of the room. I had a family maple dresser with an oval mirror. Upon my bookshelf sat my phonograph.
• “Who were your friends?”
  • Hannah Huntley
  • Lisa Humphreys
  • Clark Schaffer
  • Kyle Grey
  • Theresa Moso
  • Shari Shaffer
• “Did you have a best pal?”
  • Theresa Moso
• “Who was she?”
  • Classmate
• “How did you play?”
  • Tag, dodgeball, hot lava
• “What was your favorite color in the Crayola pack?”
  • Midnight Blue
• “Did you play a musical instrument?”
  • Violin
• “Who was your favorite doll?”
  • Stuffed Dumbo
  • Raggedy Ann & Andy
• “Can you recall the scent of Play-Doh?”
  • Ohhhhh yes and silly putty.
• “What were your favorite foods?”
  • Chicken Fried Steak
• “What subject did you like best in fifth grade?”
  • Writing

–Ban Breathnach, Sarah. “Simple Abundance: A Daybook of Comfort and Joy”. Grand Central Publishing. (1976). Kindle Page 46-47 of 501.

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