Tag: American Journalist

My Abundant Life 4-12-26

On By Heather HoustonIn My Abundant LifeLeave a comment

April 12th, 2026

Learning to Love and Honor Your Body

“The body is a sacred garment. It’s your first and last garment; it is what you enter life in and what you depart life with, and it should be treated with honor.”

Martha Graham (American Dancer and Teacher; May 11th, 1894 to April 1st, 1991)

“Which comes first, learning to love our bodies or possessing a positive body image?”

“If you can learn to like how you look, and not the way you think you look, it can set you free.”

Gloria Steinem (American Journalist and Social Activist; March 25th, 1934)

“Don’t wait for the world to celebrate you. Carve your own niche. Focus on what’s great, forget what’s not. Find joy in your own reflection. Instead of obsessing about a body that’s impossible to achieve without a personal trainer, begin to discover how you can feel better about living in the on e you now inhabit.”

“A woman’s relationship with her body is the most important relationship she’ll ever have. More important than husband, lover, children, friends, colleagues. This isn’t selfishness–it’s just fact. The body is, quite literally, our vehicle for being–for giving, for loving, for moving, for feeling–and if it doesn’t work, it’s fairly certain that nothing else in our lives will work, either.”

Diana K. Roesch (Health & Fitness Expert; December 2nd, 1963)

“Today, instead of hating your body, make peace with it. Choose to consciously love and honor the sacred garment Spirit provided for this lifetime’s journey.”

“I am so appreciative that my genetics and health active lifestyle has yielded me youth beyond my years. I have always liked my body and valued the movement it has been able to experience. I have counseled many young teens to adult women on body image for over 30+ years. On this path, the main culprit preventing women from achieving their health and wellness goals has largely been their own invisible conversation in their head about body image and self-love. For those who were able to share honestly with me how they saw themselves, I was able to help be their advocate and accountability partner in changing both behavior and their physical appearance. For those looking for a gimmick or a quick fix, they largely stayed trapped in their own story and thus their insides tended to match there outsides. It is not magic, it IS self love and grace for the garment that the Universe gifted you to wear in this life journey. Take care of it and it will take care of you. Use it or lose it.”

–Ban Breathnach, Sarah. “Simple Abundance: A Daybook of Comfort and Joy”. Grand Central Publishing. (1976). Kindle Page 116 of 501.

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

My Abundant Life 4-1-26

On By Heather HoustonIn My Abundant LifeLeave a comment

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.

My Abundant Life 3-30-26🎂

On By Heather HoustonIn My Abundant LifeLeave a comment

March 30th, 2026🎂

Developing a Sense of Style

“Taste concerns itself with broad, lifetime progress and never makes mistakes, style moves by fits and starts and is occassionally glorious.”

Kennedy Fraser (American essayist, and fashion writer; 1948 ~ )

“Celebrating your authentic style through the clothes you wear is an art form. But like any of the arts, a sense of style is one that needs to be nurtured after it is initially divined and devised. Style begins when you seek and discover your strengths, then bank on them for all they’re worth. Personal style flourishes when you realize that you really don’t need as much clothing, accessories, jewelry, or makeup as you once thought you did because you’ve got attitude.”

“We all know style when we see it–Bogart and Bacall, Garbo and Jackie O, Audrey Hepburn, Lauren Hutton, Lena Horne–all different, and all synonymous with style. Their clothes, however grand or simple, proclaim not simply taste but intelligence, wit–alittle darling. What you see is self-definition rather than trendiness. Style is the intersection of what you wear with who you are.”

Leah Feldon-Mitchell (Author; UNKNOWN)

“Styles, like everything else, change. Style doesn’t.”

Linda Ellerbee (American Journalist; August 15th, 1944 ~ )

“Before my story began…” (heather Houston 3-30-22)

1972 Me…at my Aunt Carrie’s Baby Shower

“I think I need a stylist to help me find my style.” (Heather Houston 3-30-22)

“Today is my birthday and I am 58-years young. My scale thinks I’m 56-years old, so there is that too. I am dressed to explore my life today and reconnect with my roots on my terms to unfold what is there for me. No matter what I am living into the day with STYLE!” (Heather Houston 3-30-26)

–Ban Breathnach, Sarah. “Simple Abundance: A Daybook of Comfort and Joy”. Grand Central Publishing. (1976). Kindle Page 99 of 501.

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

My Abundant Life 3-15-26

On By Heather HoustonIn My Abundant LifeLeave a comment

March 15th, 2026

Self-Nurturing: The Hardest Task You’ll Ever Do

“Any little bit of experimenting in self-nurturance is very frightening for most of us. There is a connection between self-nurturing and self-respect.”

Julia B. Cameron (American Teacher, Author, artist, poet, playwright, novelist, filmmaker, pigeon fancier, composer, and journalist; March 4th, 1948 ~ )

“Perhaps we are all Scrooges when it comes to self-nurturing because if we were kind to ourselves, our creativity might begin to blossom like a plant moving toward the light. Of course, this would mean we’d want to make some changes in our lives, and we all know how we feel about changes, even positive ones. We may be in a rut, but at least our own familiar grooves are comforting in their own insidious fashion.”

“The way to take giant leaps and strides toward authenticity, however, is through small changes.”

“True life is lived when tiny changes occur.”

Count Lev “Leo” Nikolayevich Tolstoy (Russian Writer; September 9th, 1828 ~ November 20th, 1910)

“Today, make a list of ten nice things you could do for yourself. Now select one and do it.”

“Before my story began…” (Heather Houston 3-15-22)

1972 Me…at my Aunt Carrie’s Baby Shower

Ten Nice Things To Do For Myself: (Heather Houston 3-15-22)

  1. Pedicure
  2. Manicure
  3. Color Hair
  4. Buy Conditioner
  5. Buy Leave-In Conditioner
  6. Face Mask
  7. Go See A Movie
  8. Make Myself A Cocktail (Pour an apple whiskey on the rocks) 3-15-22
  9. Listen To Fun Music
  10. Take A Nap.

Ten Nice Things To Do For Myself: (Heather Houston 3-15-26)

  1. Pedicure
  2. Manicure
  3. Buy Conditioner
  4. Purchase 2 Boxes to hold our Malaysian/India Spices and Mexican Spices
  5. Schedule therapist appointments to deal with past trauma. ✅
  6. Purchase indigenous medicines at the NICWA conference in Oklahoma.
  7. Exercise a minimum of 5 days/week.
  8. Bake 1x/week.
  9. Practice my violin.
  10. Plan to get motorcycle to the shop to get a tune-up and repair the speaker system.

It seems some things keep reoccurring as I am not following through with nurturing myself.

–Ban Breathnach, Sarah. “Simple Abundance: A Daybook of Comfort and Joy”. Grand Central Publishing. (1976). Kindle Page 81-82 of 501.

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

My Abundant Life 2-1-26 (Part 2/2)

On By Heather HoustonIn My Abundant LifeLeave a comment

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

NOLA (2022)
San Blas Islands, Panama (2026)

“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)

–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.

My Abundant Life 1-18-26

On By Heather HoustonIn My Abundant LifeLeave a comment

January 18th, 2026

Beauty: Opening Our Eyes to the Beauty That Surrounds Us

“You agree—I’m sure you agree, that beauty is the only thing worth living for.”

Dame Agatha Mary Clarissa Christie (known as:  Lady Mallowan or Agatha Christie) (English Writer; September 15th, 1890 ~ January 12th, 1976)

“…we learn to be grateful no matter what our circumstances may be. In offering gratitude dor our real lives, we discover how to change them for the better. As we embrace simplicity, we learn that less is truly more. This freedom encourages us to bring order to our affairs and cultivate harmony in our inner world. Going at our own pace, learning to recognize our limitations, appreciating our progress, we weave the lessons into the fabric of our daily moments until they become a part of us.”

“It was as if I had worked for years on the wrong side of a tapestry, learning accurately all its lines and figures, yet always missing its color and sheen.”

Anna Louise Strong (American Journalist and Activist; November 24th, 1885 ~ March 29thm 1970)

“Gazing into my lovers eyes to see his smile envelope his whole being is magical. I always use my best plates and dishes to serve food we create together because we are living right now…there is no other now than the present.” (Heather Houston 1-18-26)

“It is in the details of life that beauty is revealed, sustained, and nurtured.”

–Ban Breathnach, Sarah. “Simple Abundance: A Daybook of Comfort and Joy”. Grand Central Publishing. (1976). Kindle Page 18-19 of 501.

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