My Musical Life 8-7-26

August 7th, 2026

#56 Express Yourself (Charles Wright & The Watts 104rd Street Rhythm Band) 👍🏼

Lyrics:
Express yourself
Express yourself🪄
You don’t ever need help from nobody else
All you got to do now
Express yourself🪄
Whatever you do, uh
Do it good, uh
Whatever you do, do, do, Lord, Lord
Do it good, alright🪄
It’s not what you look like
When you’re doin’ what you’re doin’
It’s what you’re doin’, when you’re doin’
What you look like you’re doin’🪄
Express yourself
Express yourself🪄
They’re doin’ it on the moon, y’all, uh
In the jungle too, uh
Everybody on the floor now, uh
Jumpin’ like a kangaroo
So let the horns do the thing they do, y’all, uh🪄
Some people have everything
And other people don’t
But everything don’t mean a thing
If it ain’t the thing you want🪄
Express yourself, uh
Express yourself
Oh, do it, oh, do it
Do it, do it, go on and do it
Y’all, do it, give
Express yourself
Express yourself
Uh, do it🪄
Do it
Do it, ow, yeah, uh
Express yourself, uh
Express yourself, uh
Express yourself, uh🪄
Express yourself, express yourself, express yourself, express yourself, uh, woo
Uh, woo, Lord, hey
Lord, uh, hey, ow, ow
Express yourself, uh, express yourself, express, express
Express yourself, express yourself, express

My Musical Life 6-20-26

June 20th, 2026

#80 You Showed Me (The Turtles) 👍🏼

Lyrics:
You showed me how to do
Exactly what you do
How I fell in love with you
Oh, oh, oh, it’s true
Oh, oh, I love you🪄
You showed me how to say
Exactly what you say
In that very special way
Oh, oh, oh, it’s true
You fell for me too🪄
And when I tried it
I could see you fall
And I decided
It’s not a trip at all🪄
You taught it to me too
Exactly what you do
And now you love me too
Oh, oh, oh, it’s true
We’re in love, we two🪄
Na, na na na na na
Na na na na na
Na na na na na
Oh, oh-oh, oh-oh
We’re in love, we two
We two🪄
You showed me how to do
Exactly what you do
How I fell in love with you🪄
You showed me how to say
Exactly what you say
In that very special way🪄
You taught it to me too
Exactly what you do
And now you love me too🪄
Now you love me too
Now you love me too
Now you love me too
Now you love me too
Now you love me too
Now you love me too

My Musical Life 6-19-26

June 19th, 2026

#79 Games People Play (Joe South) 👍🏼

Lyrics:
Hmm la-da da da da da da da
La-da da da da da de
La-da da da da da da da
La-da da da da da da da🪄
Oh the games people play now
Every night and every day now
Never meaning what they say now
Never saying what they mean🪄
And they wile away the hours
In their ivory towers
Till they’re covered up with flowers
In the back of a black limousine whoa🪄
La-da da da da da da da
La-da da da da da de
Talking ’bout you and me
And the games people play🪄
Oh we make one another cry
Break a heart then we say goodbye
Cross our hearts and we hope to die
That the other was to blame whoa🪄
Neither one will give in
So we gaze at our eight by ten
Thinking ’bout the things that might have been
And it’s a dirty rotten shame whoa🪄
La-da da da da da da da
La-da da da da da de
Talking ’bout you and me
And the games people play now🪄
Oh yeah
All right
Oh yeah
Come on🪄
Oh
Come again🪄
People walking up to ya
Singing glory Hallelujah
And they’re tryin’ to sock it to you
In the name of the Lord🪄
They’re gonna teach you how to meditate
Read your horoscope, cheat your fate
And further more to hell with hate
Come on and get on board whoah🪄
La-da da da da da da da
La-da da da da da de
Talking ’bout you and me
And the games people play
Now wait a minute🪄
Look around tell me what you see
What’s happening to you and me
God grant me the serenity
To just remember who I am whoah🪄
‘Cause you’ve given up your sanity
For your pride and your vanity
Turn your back on humanity
Oh and you don’t give a da da da da da🪄
La-da da da da da da da
La-da da da da da de
I keep talking ’bout you and me baby
And the games people play now lala🪄
La-da da da da da da da
La-da da da da da de
I keep talking ’bout you and me
Oh and the games people play
I wonder can you come now, play🪄
Talking ’bout you and me oh
And the games people play now

My Musical Life 6-18-26

June 18th, 2026

#77 Polk Salad Annie (Tony Joe White) 👍🏼

Lyrics:
If some of ya’ll never been down south too much
Some y’all never been down s-
I’m gonna tell you a little story so’s you’ll understand what I’m talkin’ about
Down there we have a plant that grows out in the woods, and the fields
And it looks somethin’ like a turnip green
Everybody calls it polk salad
Now that’s polk salad
Used to know a girl lived down there and she’d go out in the evenings and
Pick her a mess of it
Carry it home and cook it for supper
Because that’s about all they had to eat
But they did all right🪄
Down in Louisiana, where the alligators grow so mean
Lived a girl, that I swear to the world
Made the alligators look tame
Polk salad Annie, gators got your granny
Everybody said it was a shame
Because her momma was a workin’ on the chain gang
A mean vicious woman🪄
Everyday before supper time, she’d go down by the truck patch
And pick her a mess of polk salad, and carry it home in a tow sack
Polk salad Annie, the gators got your granny
Everybody says it was a shame
Because her momma was a workin’ on the chain gang
A wretched, spiteful, straight-razor totin’ woman
Lord have Mercy, pick a mess of it🪄
Sock a little polk salad to me🪄
Her daddy was lazy and no-count, claimed he had a bad back
All her brothers were fit for
Was stealin’ watermelons out of my truck patch
Polk salad Annie, the gators got your granny
Everybody said it was a shame
Because her momma was a workin’ on the chain gang🪄
Yeah, sock a little polk salad to me, you know I need me a mess of it
Sock a little🪄
Sock a little polk salad to me, you know I need a real mess of it (chick-a-boom)
Sock a little polk salad, you know I need a real (chick-a-boom)
Ching-ching-ching-ching-a-ling (chick-a-boom)
Ching-ching-ching-ching-a-ling (chick-a-boom)
Ching-ching-ching-ching-a-ling (chick-a-boom)
Ching-ching-ching-ching-a-ling (chick-a-boom)
Ching-ching-ching-ching-a-ling (chick-a-boom)
Ching-ching-ching-ching-a-ling (chick-a-boom)
Ching-ching-ching-ching-a-ling (chick-a-boom)
Ching-ching-ching-ching-a-ling (chick-a-boom)

My Abundant Life 4-29-26

April 29th, 2026

Allure: The Feminine Mystique

“Taking joy in life is a woman’s best cosmetic.”

Rosalind Russell (American Actress & Model; June 4th, 1907 to November 28th, 1976)

“Where there is a woman there is magic.”

Ntozake Shange (American Playwright & Poet; September 11th, 1885 to March 2nd, 1930)

“You choose to take joy in real life as it unfolds day by day, hour by hour, a heartbeat at a time.”

“To live is so startling, it leaves little time for anything else.”

Emily Dickinson (American Poet; December 19th, 1830 to May 15th, 1886)

“I believe our life IS the gift! I live newly into each moment…each breath. To know I get to love my husband completely in each moment with a fire hose of love IS the juice of life!


–Ban Breathnach, Sarah. “Simple Abundance: A Daybook of Comfort and Joy”. Grand Central Publishing. (1976). Kindle Page 136 to 138 of 501.

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

My Abundant Life 4-16-26

April 16th, 2026

Walking as Meditation

“I will tell you what I learned myself. For me a long, five- or six-mile walks helps. And one must got alone and every day.”

Brenda Ueland (American Journalist and Editor; October 24th, 1891 to March 5th, 1985)

“It requires a direct dispensation from Heaven to become a walker.”

Henry David Thoreau (American Naturalist and essayist; July 12th,1817 to May 6th, 1862)

“…most days I go on walks for a ‘movement meditation’–fitness of the spirit. I try to quiet the voices in my head, take long strides, and concentrate on the slow, steady rhythm of my breath, comforted by the interior silence.”

“I love walking and try to get in a 3-5 minute walk every hour at work. Usually once around the block is enough to clear my head and breath fresh air. My favorite meditative walks are holding my husband’s hand and walking quietly together in wonder of the majesty of the beautiful planet we inhabit.”


–Ban Breathnach, Sarah. “Simple Abundance: A Daybook of Comfort and Joy”. Grand Central Publishing. (1976). Kindle Page 120 of 501.

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

My Musical Life 3-23-26

March 23rd, 2026

#76 The Unicorn (The Irish Rovers) 👍🏼

Lyrics:
A long time ago, when the earth was still green
And there were more kinds of animals than you’ve ever seen
They’d run around free while the earth was being born
But the loveliest of all was the unicorn🪄
There was green alligators and long-necked geese
Some humpty-backed camels and some chimpanzees
Some cats and rats and elephants, but sure as you’re born
The loveliest of all was the unicorn🪄
Now god seen some sinnin’ and it gave him pain
And he says, “stand back, I’m going to make it rain”
He says, “hey, brother Noah, I’ll tell you what to do
Build me a floating zoo”🪄
And take some of them green alligators and long-necked geese
Some humpty-backed camels and some chimpanzees
Some cats and rats and elephants, but sure as you’re born
Don’t you forget my unicorn”🪄
Old Noah was there to answer the call
He finished up making the ark just as the rain started fallin’
He marched in the animals two by two
And he called out as they went through
“Hey, Lord”🪄
I’ve got your green alligators and long-necked geese
Some humpty-backed camels and some chimpanzees
Some cats and rats and elephants, but Lord, I’m so forlorn
I just can’t see no unicorn”🪄
Then Noah looked out through the driving rain
Them unicorns was hiding, playing silly games
Kicking and splashing while the rain was pouring
Oh, them silly unicorns🪄
There was green alligators and long-necked geese
Some humpty-backed camels and some chimpanzees
Noah cried, “close the doors ’cause the rain is pourin’
And we just can’t wait for no unicorns”🪄
The ark started movin’, it drifted with the tide
Them unicorns looked up from the rock and they cried
And the waters came down and sort of floated them away
And that’s why you’ll never see a unicorn, to this very day🪄
You’ll see green alligators and long-necked geese
Some humpty-backed camels and some chimpanzees
Some cats and rats and elephants, but sure as you’re born
You’re never gonna see no unicorn

My Abundant Life 3-9-26

March 9th, 2026

A Radiant Reflection: Projecting Your Authentic Self

“So many women just don’t know how great they really are. They come to us all vogue outside and vague on the inside.”

Mary Kay Ash (American Businesswoman and Founder of Mary Kay Cosmetics, Inc.; May 12th, 1918 ~ November 22nd, 2001)

“Few women know how great they really are. If truth were told, we’d all probably admit to feeling pretty vague about our personal appearance. Many of us would like to trade ourselves in for a sleeker version.”

“…flip through the catalogs. Cut out the pictures of the women you think are attractive and the clothing you’d love to wear.”

“Always remember that dreams–your creative visualizations–must come before their physical manifestations.”

“Create a collage of your ideal woman: find the perfect hairstyle, put together a fantastic wardrobe for home and work.”

“Since you have embarked on this adventure to awaken your authenticity and discover your own sense of style, be willing not to buy another item of clothing unless you absolutely cannot live without it. No more settling for something that’s not you or that’s second-rate.”

“Let the potent power of simplicity begin to work in your life. If it’s not authentically you, live without it.”

“Before my story began…” (Heather 3-9-22)

1972 Me…at my Aunt Carrie’s Baby Shower

“This such a hard space for me to unfold. I have always been in a financial way that to buy myself anything for my wardrobe never went beyond the next racing t-shirt or sweat pants for my work. I feel like I have no sense of my own style and really don’t even no where to begin. My wardrobe has not evolved in over 20-25 years…UGH! I need to save money and hire a stylist to help me find that part of me.” (Heather Houston 3-9-22)

“I yearn to find my authentic style. One that is fusion for my busy life. I want classy, practical, sporty and elegant…LOL! Sounds like am impossible task. However, as a 2-Spirit woman, I believe I can find what works for me. I am in my birthday month and plan to get at least one item I must have.” (Heather Houston 3-9-26)


–Ban Breathnach, Sarah. “Simple Abundance: A Daybook of Comfort and Joy”. Grand Central Publishing. (1976). Kindle Page 76-77 of 501.

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

My Abundant Life 2-25-26

February 25th, 2026

Reordering Your Priorities

“Learn to get in touch with the silence within yourself and know that everything in this life has a purpose.”

Elisabeth Kübler-Ross (Swiss-American Psychiatrist; July 8th, 1926 ~ August 24th, 2004)

“…the centrifugal forces of today.”

Anne Morrow Lindbergh (American Author and Aviator; June 22nd, 1906 ~ February 7th, 2001)

“I find it helpful to think of priorities as the wooden frame upon which we stretch the canvas of our days so that we may apply color and form to the work of art we are creating without the entire painting collapsing in the middle.”

“Quiet time alone, contemplation, prayer, music, a centering line of thought or reading, of study or work. It can be physical or intellectual or artistic, any creative life proceeding from oneself. It need not be an enormous project or great work. But it should be something of one’s own. Arranging a bowl of lowers in the morning can give a sense of quiet in a crowded day…What matters is that one be for a time inwardly attentive.”

Anne Morrow Lindbergh (American Author and Aviator; June 22nd, 1906 ~ February 7th, 2001)

“Today make getting in touch with the Silence within yourself your first priority. As you do, you will be amazed at how everything else seems to find its own order.”

My Bucket List

Blackfeet Warrior (Drawing w/Charcoal Powder); By: Jason Tako
Discover the magnificent, turquoise tiered waterfalls of Kuang Si, Laos

“Before my story began…” (Heather Houston 2-25-22)

1972 Me…at my Aunt Carrie’s Baby Shower

“I wasn’t very good at finding the Silence within myself today. Work was very stressful and after a 9-hour shift without a break, I was pooped. TGIF!” (Heather Houston 2-25-22)

“My priority is sustaining a loving and happy marriage with my husband. We create one another each day newly and then live into the day as the best date/party ever. Truly, it is a remarkable life and way to live. I cherish also my inward attentive moments like now when I read and reflect on a daily devotional. Giving back to myself fills my ‘Battery’. Loving my husband is my most beautiful work of art!”


–Ban Breathnach, Sarah. “Simple Abundance: A Daybook of Comfort and Joy”. Grand Central Publishing. (1976). Kindle Page 59-60 of 501.

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

My Abundant Life 2-20-26

February 20th, 2026

The Authentic Dig

“Sometimes a person has to go back, really back–to have a sense, an understanding of all that’s gone to make them–before they can go forward.”

Sir Paul Roderick Clucas Marshall (British Investor; August 2nd, 1959 ~ )

“On the authentic dig we shall also go in search of a mosaic: what brought us moments of happiness and contentment.”

“Let your authnetic archaeologist gather artifacts that can coax memory: old photographs, letters, mementos.”

“See what memories are triggered as you reacquaint yourself with the girl and woman you once were. Linger only on the happy times. What you are searching for is a pattern of personal, authentic pleasures and preferences. These are the chips in your mosaic.”

“The events in our lives happen in a sequence in time, but in our significance to ourselves they find their own order…With patience and quiet observation, these events will provide the seeker in you with a ‘continuous thread of revelation.'”

Eudora Welty (American Short Story Writer, Novelist and Photographer; April 13th, 1909 ~ July 23rd, 2001)

My Bucket List

Memories
Great Wall of China

“Before my story began…” (Heather Houston 2-20-22)

1972 Me…at my Aunt Carrie’s Baby Shower

“I think I will start with my year book to try to reconnect with classmates and find high school pictures of myself.” (Heather Houston 2-20-22)

“I have been uncovering my past to see how it lands for me now. I have been intentionally listening to the music and watching films from my birth year 1968. It has been so fun to watch and listen…waiting to see what bubbles up. I realize I have a huge music and film interest genre. I even reeled in my husband to watch a few flicks with me. I love this journey!” (Heather Houston 2-20-26)


–Ban Breathnach, Sarah. “Simple Abundance: A Daybook of Comfort and Joy”. Grand Central Publishing. (1976). Kindle Page 53-54 of 501.

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