Ramblings, ideas and memoirs of a joyous adventurer. Absinthe aficionado. Empathetic thinker-feeler. Verbose writer. Avidly authentic. Hydrangea fanatic. Snow leopard lover. Joy huntress. Promising my devotees a honest glimpse into my life as I live with freedom, power and full self-expression in an unfiltered and sometimes distilled way. CHEERS!
“I am grateful I listened to my body and spirit upon rising at 5:00AM and chose not to row and instead healed my mind with some baking. I made a Chocolate Banana Tahini Bread before work.” (Heather Houston 3-12-26)
“I am blessed to listen to blues tunes and cook in the quiet of the morning.” (Heather Houston 3-12-26)
“I am grateful to get 48 gift bags created for the Social Worker Appreciation Luncheon next week.” (Heather Houston 3-12-26)
“I am blessed to have a sexy clever loving husband.” (Heather Houston 3-12-26)
“I appreciate how our dog, Kiva, curls up in the well of my knees to sleep for the night.” (Heather Houston 3-12-26)
“I appreciate questions in emails that can be resolved with one sentence.” (Heather Houston 3-12-22)
Lyrics: Thrown like a star in my vast sleep I opened my eyes to take a peek To find that I was by the sea Gazing with tranquility ‘Twas then when the Hurdy Gurdy Man Came singing songs of love Then when the Hurdy Gurdy Man Came singing songs of love “Hurdy gurdy, hurdy gurdy, hurdy gurdy gurdy” he sang “Hurdy gurdy, hurdy gurdy, hurdy gurdy gurdy” he sang “Hurdy gurdy, hurdy gurdy, hurdy gurdy gurdy” he sang Histories of ages past Unenlightened shadows cast Down through all eternity The crying of humanity ‘Tis then when the Hurdy Gurdy Man Comes singing songs of love Then when the Hurdy Gurdy Man Comes singing songs of love “Hurdy gurdy, hurdy gurdy, hurdy gurdy gurdy” he sang “Hurdy gurdy, hurdy gurdy, hurdy gurdy, hurdy gurdy, hurdy gurd Hurdy gurdy, hurdy gurdy, hurdy gurdy gurdy” he sang “Hurdy gurdy, hurdy gurdy, hurdy gurdy gurdy” he sang Here comes the Roly Poly Man He’s singing songs of love “Roly poly, roly poly, holy poly poly” he sang “Hurdy gurdy, hurdy gurdy, hurdy gurdy gurdy” he sang “Hurdy gurdy, hurdy gurdy, hurdy gurdy gurdy” he sang
“How women look and how their looks change in the course of their lives, is not a frivolous question…’How do I look?’ she asks as her eyes meet the eyes in the mirror. She listens carefully for an answer, because it might prove quite illuminating.”
Kennedy Fraser (American Essayist, and Fashion Writer; 1948 ~ )
“‘How do I look?’ Is a question all of us have spent our lives asking others. But now that you are on a path towards your authenticity you have reached the point when you need to gently ask yourself this loaded question. And, once having asked, you need to listen carefully for the answer. Better yet, when you gaze into the mirror you should ask, ‘How do I feel?’ because how you feel about yourself on any particular day will influence how you look more than what you are wearing.”
“…we need to change our approach to beauty completely. Personal transformation begins with a strong inner life. We need to let Spirit show us the way…Twenty minutes of meditation a day, quiet reflection, or a restorative walk seeking your authentic self will do more for your looks than you will believe.”
“If we go down into ourselves we find that we possess exactly what we desire.”
Simone Adolphine Weil(French Philosopher, Mystic, and Political Activist; February 3rd, 1909 ~ August 24th, 1943)
“Before my story began…” (Heather Houston 3-12-22)
1972 Me…at my Aunt Carrie’s Baby Shower
“I think my meditation needs to include a mantra of self-love. I often wonder what it would be like to love yourself…love your protein sack…HHHhhhmmmmmm.” (Heather Houston 3-12-26)
“I find my inner beauty routine involves my morning meditation and devotion to my sacredness and the blessing I am. Remembering to judge nothing that occurs and remain in the world of acceptance has really started my days in better peace and tranquility. It quiets the noise so I can start the daily newly without the recording playing in the background.”
–Ban Breathnach, Sarah. “Simple Abundance: A Daybook of Comfort and Joy”. Grand Central Publishing. (1976). Kindle Page 79-80 of 501.
I challenge each of you on this blog series to post comments so we all can grow together.
“Not a great film. Similar to The Brady Bunch. The only interesting thing was a ton of young actors were in the cast who later played in ‘Animal House’.”
Lyrics: Lady Madonna, children at your feet Wonder how you manage to make ends meet Who finds the money when you pay the rent? Did you think that money was heaven sent? Friday night arrives without a suitcase Sunday morning creeping like a nun Monday’s child has learned to tie his bootlace See how they run Lady Madonna, baby at your breast Wonders how you manage to feed the rest See how they run Lady Madonna lying on the bed Listen to the music playing in your head (head) Tuesday afternoon is never ending Wednesday morning papers didn’t come Thursday night, your stockings needed mending See how they run Lady Madonna, children at your feet Wonder how you manage to make ends meet
“If you will resolve to work each day for self-realization, your whole world can change…The two women you are, they can make you over.”
Pond’s Cold Cream Advertisement (Good Housekeeping, December 1947)
“Each of us transmits personal signals about our self-esteem very day in myriad ways.”
“But there is an important reason why we should give a second thought to our personal appearance, even when we’re alone: the inner joy we experience when we look our best.”
“Many women feel in their hearts that they have missed full realization. Yet they need not accept this–help is within themselves. You can feel it within you–an inner drive for happiness. The close interrelation between this Inner You and this Outer You, the almost uncanny power of each to change the other–can change you from drabness to joyous self-fulfillment.”
Pond’s Cold Cream Advertisement(Good Housekeeping, March 1949)
“…one of the most marvelous lessons you learn on a path of personal transformation is that when your heart is open to change, you’re able to recognize the personal signals of encouragement your authentic delf is constantly sending, no matter how unlikely the source.”
“Before my story began…” (Heather Houston 3-11-22)
1972 Me…at my Aunt Carrie’s Baby Shower
“It is do coincidental, the Pond’s cold cream reference to a beauty tip my paternal grandmother shared with me. Grandma Houston had the most porcelain of skin well into her 70s. She shared that all she ever used was Pond’s cold cream at night. Amazing!” (Heather Houston 3-11-22)
“I found I took on another beauty technique from my Grandmother Houston, witch hazel. I have never been able to use an astringent as it always stripped my natural oil and made my skin shiny and irritated. The witch hazel is forgiving and still cleans the bacteria and surface oils without stripping my face. Thank you grandma!” (Heather Houston 3-11-26)
–Ban Breathnach, Sarah. “Simple Abundance: A Daybook of Comfort and Joy”. Grand Central Publishing. (1976). Kindle Page 78-79 of 501.
I challenge each of you on this blog series to post comments so we all can grow together.
“Thankful my allergies are staying in check with the beginning of spring.” (Heather Houston 3-10-26)
“I appreciate the dump truck making room for my merge when no one else would so I could make my exit.” (Heather Houston 3-10-26)
“I am grateful for the Amazon delivery of the items needed to complete the gift bags for the Social Worker Appreciation Luncheon I am hosting next week.” (Heather Houston 3-10-26)
“I am grateful every day to return home to our safe and sane ‘Hobbit House'” (Heather Houston 3-10-26)
“I love our nighttime banter before bedtime.”❤️ (Heather Houston 3-10-26)
“I am grateful for those first moments when you hold your newborn and get a whiff of their baby smell. Magic in bonding and you never forget it!” (Heather Houston 3-10-22)
“I am grateful for the beauty of a work of art that moves you.” (Heather Houston 3-10-22)
“I am thankful for the good feeling you get when you make a final payment on a loan.” (Heather Houston 3-10-22)
“I appreciate equality and diversity.” (Heather Houston 3-10-22)
“I am blessed that during COVID quarantine, I got to work from home…even in my PJ’s!” (Heather Houston 3-10-22)
Lyrics: I got the feeling Baby, baby I got the feeling You don’t know what you do to me People are heavy, down in misery Hey, yeah, alright Hey, hey, good Lord I got the feeling, alright Baby, baby, baby Baby, baby, baby Baby, baby, baby Baby, baby I got the feeling, baby Baby, sometimes I’m up Sometimes I’m down My heart, I’m around the town I’m level with the ground, baby I said level with the ground Well, baby, you treat me bad No, no, I know no, you don’t mean it now Sometimes, I roam But I’ll be coming back home Sometimes, I seem to be fly I just don’t know when to say bye bye Hey baby, baby I got that feeling, baby I have it, alright Baby, baby, baby Baby, baby, baby Baby, baby, baby Baby, baby Come on now Come on now Oh, oh, oh, oh
You Are Not Your Appearance, but Does the Rest of the World Know That?
“The tragedy of our time is that we are so eye centered, so appearance besotted.”
Jessamyn West (American Author of Short Stories and Novels; July 17th, 1902 ~ February 23rd, 1984)
“All of us can pull ourselves together some of the time. Some of us can pull ourselves together all of the time. But none of us wants to be ‘pulled together’ every single moment of our lives.”
“Probably you were taught, as I was, that how we present ourselves to the world is very important. Unfortunately, our outside packaging counts for far more than it really should. Often, when we don’t live up to the world’s expectations of how we should look or behave, we fall victim to a vicious circle of self-loathing and denial that can be difficult to escape from unscathed. At times like these, it’s a comfort to remember that our souls are more dazzling than cellophane.”
“Beauty is an internal light, a spiritual radiance that all women have but most women hide, unconsciously, denying its existence. What we do not claim remains invisible. It’ is God’s will that we be beautiful, that we love and be loved and prosper in all good things. It is God’s will that we all become the goddesses we were created to be.”
Marianne Deborah Williamson (American Author, Spiritual Leader, and Political Activist; July 8th, 1952 ~ )
“But as you become more intimate with your authentic self–as you recover your true, incandescent identity–there will come a gradual but undeniable physical transformation. It is absolutely impossible to commit to your spiritual growth, awaken your own radiant Light and not have it reveal itself on the outside.”
“Before my story began…” (Heather Houston 3-10-22)
1972 Me…at my Aunt Carrie’s Baby Shower
“As a sapio/demi-sexual, I am trapped to seeing others insides before I see their outsides. Since I see the world this way I expect other to also. Regrettably, I am a very small part of the population…single digits. This might be why I always felt out of place. I often wish I was just “normal” like everyone else who is driven by appearance as a primary motivator.” (Heather Houston 3-10-22)
“‘It is God’s will that we all become the goddesses we were created to be.’-Marianne Williamson. I love this most of all as my husband has helped me find my inner goddess and she is sexy hot and fun!”
–Ban Breathnach, Sarah. “Simple Abundance: A Daybook of Comfort and Joy”. Grand Central Publishing. (1976). Kindle Page 77-78 of 501.
I challenge each of you on this blog series to post comments so we all can grow together.
My Distilled Life 