Tag: English Novelist

My Abundant Life 5-25-26

On By Heather HoustonIn My Abundant LifeLeave a comment

May 25th, 2026

Passion: The Authentic Muse

“What is passion? It is surely the becoming of a person.”

John Boorman (Filmmaker; January 18th, 1933)

“Passion, after all, means the abandonment of reason in the reckless pursuit of pleasure…”

“Passion is wild, chaotic, unpredictable. Permissive. Excessive. Obsessive.”

“…passion is the muse of authenticity. It’s the primordial, pulsating energy that infuses all of life, the numinous presence made known with every beat of our hearts.”

“Every day offers us another opportunity to live passionate lives rather than passive ones, if we will bear witness to passion’s immutable presence in the prosaic. If we will stop denying ourselves pleasure.”

“Passion is holy—a profound Mystery that transcends and transforms through rapture. We need to accept that a sacred fire burns within, whether we’re comfortable with this truth or not. Passion is part of Real Life’s package because we were created by Love, for Love, to Love. If we do not give outward expression to our passion, we will experience self-immolation—the spontaneous combustion of our souls.”

“The only sin passion can commit is to be joyless.”

Dorothy L. Sayers (English Novelist & Playwright; June 13th, 1893 to December 17th, 1957)

“I must not be a sinner as I live passionately, love passionately and thrive passionately.”

–Ban Breathnach, Sarah. “Simple Abundance: A Daybook of Comfort and Joy”. Grand Central Publishing. (1976). Kindle Page 174 to 175 of 501.

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

My Abundant Life 4-28-26

On By Heather HoustonIn My Abundant LifeLeave a comment

April 28th, 2026

The Intuitive Sense

“Intuition is a spiritual faculty, and does not explain, but simply points the way.”

Florence Scovel Shinn (American Artist & Book Illustrator; September 24th, 1871 to October 17th, 1940)

“Intuition has been called our ‘sixth sense’ and is often an ability ascribed to women.”

…believed that the intelligence that “arises out of sex and beauty is intuition.”

D. H. Lawrence (English Novelist & Short Story Writer; September 11th, 1885 to March 2nd, 1930)

…feminine intuition was a result of our “age-long training in human relations.”

Margaret Mead (American Cultural Anthropologist and Author; December 16th, 1901 to November 15th, 1978)

“Intuition is the subliminal sense Spirit endowed us with to maneuver safely through the maze that is real life. Wild animals rely on their intuition to stay alive; we should reply on ours to thrive.”

“It is only by following your deepest instinct that you can lead a rich life and if you let your fear of consequence prevent you from following your deepest instinct then your life will be safe, expedient and thin.”

Katharine Butler Hathaway (American Writer; 1890 to 1942)

“One such intuitive signal is the emotional trembling that accompanies creative discovery or warns us not to take an action. Another intuitive message breaks through when we suddenly grasp that to try something new might be delightful; we do so and are surprised by joy. A third intuitive nudge occurs through revelational the inner knowing that helps us arrive at the right place at the right time so that we can be swept away by the benevolent flow of synchronicity that gets us where we’re meant to be as easily as the Universe can arrange it.”

“…one in whom persuasion and belief/Had ripened into faith, and faith become/A passionate intuition.”

William Wordsworth (English Poet; April 7th 1770 to April 23rd, 1850)

“I have always had a strong intuitive sense of my experience of the world. It has served me well and I trust it. Combined with my synesthesia, I feel bolstered by my intuition in understanding and navigating my world.”

–Ban Breathnach, Sarah. “Simple Abundance: A Daybook of Comfort and Joy”. Grand Central Publishing. (1976). Kindle Page 135 to 136 of 501.

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

My Abundant Life 4-22-26

On By Heather HoustonIn My Abundant LifeLeave a comment

April 22nd, 2026

Sensory Awakening

“Nothing can cure the soul but the senses, just as nothing can cure the senses but the soul.”

Oscar Wilde (Irish Author and Poet; December 30th, 1865 to January 18th, 1936)

“We were created to experience, interpret, and savor the world through our senses–our ability to smell, taste, hear, touch, see, and intuit.”

“…to perceive the world with all its gushing beauty and terror, right on our pulses.”

Diane Ackerman (American Poet and Essayist; October 7th, 1948)

“…to begin to understand the gorgeous fever that is consciousness, we must try to understand the senses. The senses don’t just make sense of life in bold or subtle acts of clarity, they tear reality apart into vibrant morsels and reassemble them into a meaningful pattern.”

Diane Ackerman (American Poet and Essayist; October 7th, 1948)

“If we had keen vision and feeling for all ordinary human life it would be like hearing the grass grow and the squirrel’s heart beat, and we should die of the roar which lies on the other side of silence. As it is, the quickest of us walks about well wadded with stupidity.”

George Eliot (Mary Ann Evans) (English Novelist and Poet; November 22nd, 1819 to December 22nd, 1880)

“I have found ever since beginning my intentional journey in BEingness, all my senses have improved and become more acute. I am loving how wonderful our human protein sacks are to experience this beautiful world!”

–Ban Breathnach, Sarah. “Simple Abundance: A Daybook of Comfort and Joy”. Grand Central Publishing. (1976). Kindle Page 127 to 128 of 501.

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

My Abundant Life 4-21-26

On By Heather HoustonIn My Abundant LifeLeave a comment

April 21st, 2026

Aromatherapy: The Restorative Comfort of Fragrance

“Smells are surer than sounds and sights to make heartstrings crack.”

Rudyard Kipling (English Journalist and Novelist; December 30th, 1865 to January 18th, 1936)

“Our sense of smell is our primordial link to our brains. When we inhale a scent, neurotransmitters in our brains trigger the production of biochemical secretions that affect our moods, feelings, and emotions. When an aromatic essential oil permeates our skin through the bath or a massage, the oil penetrates the epidermis, stimulates our sophisticated lymph duct system, and enters the bloodstream, eventually delivering well-being to our frazzled minds.”

“…smell is a potent wizard that transports us across thousands of miles and all the years we have lived.”

Helen Keller (American Author; June 27th, 1880 to June 1st, 1968)

“Smell has always been a huge part of my experience of the world. Lately I have been playing with scent in a new way against the natural pheromones between my husband and myself…DELISCIOUS! One of the ways I knew Neil was my man, is that he always smells like snickerdoodle cookies to me. One of my favorite cookies!🏆“

–Ban Breathnach, Sarah. “Simple Abundance: A Daybook of Comfort and Joy”. Grand Central Publishing. (1976). Kindle Page 126 to 127 of 501.

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

My Abundant Life 3-27-26

On By Heather HoustonIn My Abundant LifeLeave a comment

March 27th, 2026

Glimmers from the Golden Mirror

“It is never too late to be what you might have been.”

Mary Ann Evans (known as: George Eliot) (English Novelist, Poet, Journalist, Translator; November 22nd, 1819 ~ December 22nd, 1880)

“By paying attention to the subtle signals the woman within is constantly trying to send us, we can learn how to reflect our own best image, even if our pocketbooks don’t match our exquisite taste.”

“Simplicity is a fashion statement every woman today can make no matter what her personal style has been in the past. That’s because true simplicity nevers disappoints. Once you learn that less is more, then enough becomes plenty, and your entire outlook on life–including fashion–is transformed.”

“Before my story began…” (Heather Houston 3-27-22)

1972 Me…at my Aunt Carrie’s Baby Shower

“If I was to remove the inauthentic things in my wardrobe, I might only be left with a handful of items. I need to work on this.” (Heather Houston 3-27-22)

“Today can be the day…any day can be the day of choosing to be the woman you were meant to be. I will take some time discovering my inner style and make small additions to dress and live into myself.” (Heather Houston 3-27-26)

–Ban Breathnach, Sarah. “Simple Abundance: A Daybook of Comfort and Joy”. Grand Central Publishing. (1976). Kindle Page 93-95 of 501.

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

My Abundant Life 2-10-26

On By Heather HoustonIn My Abundant LifeLeave a comment

February 10th, 2026

Creating An Authentic Lifestyle For Yourself And Those You Love

“It’s a funniy thing about life; if you refuse to accept anything but the best, you very often get it.”

William Somerset Maugham CH (English Playwright, Novelist, and Short-Story Writer; January 25th, 1874 ~ December 16th, 1965)

“It’s far easier to live an elegant, beautiful life when you’re not on a budget. When cash is readily available, you don’t have to learn the lessons that delayed gratification teaches us. But having money does not guarantee that we live authentically. Nor does being surrounded by beautiful things guarantee a lifetime of happiness.”

“When you learn what you can live without, you are able to ask life for the very best because you possess the gift of discernment. You develop patience that enables you to wait gracefully and gratefully until the best arrives because you know it will. You are able to create an authentic life for yourself and those you love because you are able to make conscious choices.”

“Long afterwards, she was to remember that moment when her life changed its direction…It was not predestined; she had choice. Or it seemed she had. To accept or refuse. To take one turning down the crossroads to the future or another.”

Evelyn Bridgett Patricia Ward-Thomas, née Stephens (known as: Evelyn Anthony) (British Writer; July 3rd, 1926 ~ September 25th, 2018)

“Turning away from the world and toward your own happiness is the path of authenticity.”

My Bucket List

Hold An Eagle
Tigers Nest Monastery, Bhutan

“Today, my soldier-athlete in my sprinting group learned the lesson of proper warm-up and flexibility. She experienced a bit of a calf strain due to not being fit enough to handle 30m sprint drills…very basic. It was an opportunity to help her learn how to warm-up to be preventative and to approach her drills from a focus on form vs. speed. Great learning day!” (Heather Houston 2-10-22)

“I have spent a lifetime waiting and discerning what to add to my life. My fiscally challenged upbringing was a gift and taught me what I could live without and if I needed something how to budget and be patient. Learning early what I could live without made it possible for me to be living the life I love presently. 8 years ago I asked the Universe for the very best life and “TADA” I am living it.” (Heather Houston 2-10-26)

–Ban Breathnach, Sarah. “Simple Abundance: A Daybook of Comfort and Joy”. Grand Central Publishing. (1976). Kindle Page 44-45 of 501.

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