Tag: English Poet

My Abundant Life 8-1-26

On By Heather HoustonIn My Abundant LifeLeave a comment

August 1st, 2026

“Summer’s lease hat all too short a date.”

William Shakespeare (English Playwright & Poet; April 1564 to April 23rd, 1616)

The Harmonic Convergence of an Authentic Life

“But if you have nothing at all to create, then perhaps you create yourself.”

Carl Jung (Swiss Psychiatrist & Psychotherapist; July 26th, 1875 to June 6th, 1961)

“In undertaking a spiritual life, what matters is simple. …We must make certain that our path is connected with our heart… When we ask, ‘Am I following a path with heart?’ we discover that no one can define for us exactly what our path should be. Instead, we must allow the mystery and beauty of this question to resonate within our being. Then somewhere within us an answer will come and understanding will arise. If we are still and listen deeply, even for a moment, we will know if we are following a path with heart.”

Jack Kornfield (American Psychologist & Writer; July 16th, 1945)

“For me, bearing witness to my authentic self is the most joyous and fulfilling spiritual path I have ever followed. It is truly ‘a path with heart,’ It began when I acknowledged that creativity is holy.”

“It’s never too late to reclaim your individual gifts, resuscitated a dream, create an authentic life. Consider this: what if ‘original sin’ is denying instead of celebrating your originality?”

“Each of us possesses an exquisite, extraordinary gift: The opportunity to give expression to Divinity on earth through our everyday lives. When we choose to honor this priceless gift, we participate in the re-creation of the world.”

“Our own life is the instrument with which we experiment with truth.”

Thich Nhat Hanh (Vietnamese Monk & Peace Activist; 1910 to March 13th, 2002)

“I have been reclaiming my love for self. To recognize I am a gift and deserving to add to the world and my life has been the most important exploration I have ever embarked upon.”

–Ban Breathnach, Sarah. “Simple Abundance: A Daybook of Comfort and Joy”. Grand Central Publishing. (1976). Kindle Page 281 to 283 of 501.

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

My Abundant Life 7-20-26

On By Heather HoustonIn My Abundant LifeLeave a comment

July 20th, 2026

True North

“It is good to have an end to journey towards; but it is the journey that matters in the end.”

Ursula K. LeGuin (American Author, October 21st, 1929 to January 22nd, 2018)

“I used to believe that happiness could only be found after arriving at my heart’s destination. Explorers call it true north.”

“…I’ve learned that the spirit of our journey is as important, perhaps even more important, than the arrival at our destination. In order for us to realize genuine happiness, we must be willing to court contentment every step of the way. For after all, the journey is really all that most of us will ever know. Day in, day out. The journey is real life.”

“I found myself saying to myself…I can’t live where I want to…I can’t go where I want to…I can’t do what I want to. I can’t even say what I want to. I decided I was a very stupid fool not to at least paint as I wanted to…that seemed to be the only thing I could do that didn’t concern anybody but myself.”

Georgia O’Keeffe (American Painter; November 15th, 1887 to March 6th, 1986)

“…we can certainly learn slowly to follow her example, to carve out time for rewarding reveries that acquaint us with our authentic selves and give us glimpses of true north.”

“For it’s during our expectant hours–those hours that might once have been called ‘idle’–that we are most pregnant with our own potential.”

“..store up reservoirs of calm and content… and draw on them at later moments when the source isn’t there but the need is very great.”

Rupert Brooke (English Poet; August 3rd, 1887 to April 23rd, 1915)

“This skill–the soulcraft of devoutly caring for our authentic selves–rarely comes naturally or easily. But with practice, with patience, with perseverance, it does come.”

“Listening and peeling away the layers to get to my authentic self has been the most extraordinary journey of my life!”

–Ban Breathnach, Sarah. “Simple Abundance: A Daybook of Comfort and Joy”. Grand Central Publishing. (1976). Kindle Page 265 to 266 of 501.

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

My Abundant Life 7-19-26

On By Heather HoustonIn My Abundant LifeLeave a comment

July 19th, 2026

Carving Out Time for Personal Pursuits That Bring Contentment

“It is the soul’s duty to be loyal to its own desires. It must abandon itself to its master passion.”

Rebecca West (British Author, December 21st, 1892 to March 15th, 1953)

“How about an answer we haven’t heard before? How about, ‘My authentic passions will have to wait until I’m ready to admit that pursuing them is essential for my happiness?’ How about, ‘I haven’t learned yet how to put myself on the list of priorities?’ Notice I didn’t suggest putting yourself first; I just want to get you on the list.”

“It seems to me we can never give up longing and wishing while we are thoroughly alive. There are certain things we feel to be beautiful and good and we must hunger after them.”

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

“Space and time to nurture our creativity may be one of our authentic hungers. Perhaps we think that only food, drink, work, sex, shopping, or pills can reduce the gnawing to a dull throb. But maybe if we took an hour a day to paint, to plot, or to throw pots we wouldn’t be in pain–physical or psychic.”

“I think the point of nurturing authentic hungers is to learn to truly BE present. This IS the juice of life!”

–Ban Breathnach, Sarah. “Simple Abundance: A Daybook of Comfort and Joy”. Grand Central Publishing. (1976). Kindle Page 264 to 265 of 501.

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

My Abundant Life 6-12-26

On By Heather HoustonIn My Abundant LifeLeave a comment

June 12th, 2026

Secret Passions: Scented Linen Closets

“And still she slept an azure-lidded sleep/In blanched linen, smooth, and lavender’d.”

John Keats (English Poet; October 31st, 1775 to February 23rd, 1821)

“I long for a walk in linen closet to organize all the linens for our house. I love the idea of fresh linens neatly organized and at the ready for any occasion.”

–Ban Breathnach, Sarah. “Simple Abundance: A Daybook of Comfort and Joy”. Grand Central Publishing. (1976). Kindle Page 205 to 207 of 501.

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

My Abundant Life 5-6-26

On By Heather HoustonIn My Abundant LifeLeave a comment

May 6th, 2026

After the Fact: The Art of Decorative Detection

“When friends enter a home, they sense its personality and character, the family’s style of living—these elements male a house come alive with a sense of identity, a sense of energy, enthusiasm, and warmth, declaring, ‘This is who we are; this is how we live.'”

Ralph Lauren (American Fashion Designer, Philanthropist & Billionaire Businessman; October 13th, 1949)

“To one who waits, all things reveal themselves…so long as you have the courage not to deny in the darkness what you have seen in the light.”

Coventry Patmore (English Poet & Literary Critic; July 23rd, 1823 to November 26th, 1896)

“Because our ‘hobbit house’ is so small, we only surround ourselves with items that we use and bring us joy. No hoarding ‘stuff'”.

–Ban Breathnach, Sarah. “Simple Abundance: A Daybook of Comfort and Joy”. Grand Central Publishing. (1976). Kindle Page 147 to 149 of 501.

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

My Abundant Life 5-1-26

On By Heather HoustonIn My Abundant LifeLeave a comment

May 1st, 2026

“Let all they joy be as the month of May.”

Frances Quarles (English Poet; May 8th, 1592 to September 9th, 1644)

“This month we turn our attention homeward, as we continue to weave simplicity into our daily round while reacquainting ourselves with the transformative power of the third Simple Abundance principle—Order.”

Everyday Epiphanies

“Today a new sun rises for me; everything lives, everything is animated, everything seems to speak to me of my passion, everything invites me to cherish it.”

Anne de Lenclos (French Writer; November 10th, 1620 to October 17th, 1705)

“We should write an elegy for every day that has slipped through our lives unnoticed and unappreciated. Better still, we should write a song of thanksgiving for all the days that remain.”

“…we’re startled into consciousness by an unforeseen threat to something that we hold dear and have been taking for granted. I call these luminous moments ‘everyday epiphanies,’ because they jar us into a profound awareness of how much we have, and how much we have escaped, and how much there is to be grateful for.”

“Everyday epiphanies encourage us to cherish everything. Today a new sun has risen. Everything lives. Everything can speak to your soul passionately if you will be still enough to listen.”

“You have to count on living every single day in a way you believe will make you feel good about your life, so that if it were over tomorrow, you’d be content.”

Jane Seymour (British Actress; February 15th, 1951)

“Being present for every breath IS the juice of life. Using up all the day and living each day like it is the best party ever is the key! Neil and I have a party everyday…intimate connection, marvelous cocktail, scrumptious dinner and holding hands watching our favorite cooking shows together IS our life juice.”

–Ban Breathnach, Sarah. “Simple Abundance: A Daybook of Comfort and Joy”. Grand Central Publishing. (1976). Kindle Page 141 to 142 of 501.

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

My Abundant Life 4-27-26

On By Heather HoustonIn My Abundant LifeLeave a comment

April 27th, 2026

Reach Out and Touch Someone

“O world invisible, we view thee,

O world intangible, we touch thee,

O world unknowable, we know thee.”

Francis Thompson (English Poet; December 16th, 1859 to November 13th, 1907)

“Touch is the first physical sense we experience as strange hands pull us from the dark realm of the soul into the cold, harsh light of earth. After the security and warmth of the womb, frigid air assaults our fragile, naked bodies until we find comfort in our mother’s arms with the sense of touch guiding our first few conscious moments. For many people touch is also the last sense we experience as we depart the world—the squeeze of a loved one’s hand. Sight, smell hearing, and taste have gone before us.”

“The first sense to ignite, touch is often the last to burn out, long after our eyes betray us, our hands remain faithful to the world.”

Frederich Sachs

“We describe our mood swings as ‘feelings’ and when something strikes a deep, sentimental chord in us we say we were ‘touched.’ When we feel alienated, fragmented, and adrift, we often refer to this estrangement as ‘losing touch with reality.'”

“…we all need to be hugged and touched, not just to thrive but to survive.”

“‘sensuist’ (someone who delights in sensory experiences, as opposed to a ‘sensualist,’ someone who is excessively concerned with physical gratification).”

“She seemed a thing that could not feel/The touch of earthly years.”

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

“Let us become women who embrace our portion of earthly years with a passion by delighting in our sense of touch.”

“I am very aware how much touch is a huge part of my aliveness. I need it to remain balanced centered and well. For huge portions of my life I went without touch. Being a mother afforded me more regular dosing, However, choosing my lover and life partner was the pivot into a chronic blissful state that has been unmatched…ever. When a child, I was disconnected from touch as it was not a regular occurrence by my mother. Often perfunctory in nature and performative. My thought is that she experienced less touch as a child too. My dad was much more affectionate, but also metered. I think he knew instinctively he needed touch to remain balanced. Sometimes he would just reach out to hold my hand and at the time, I needed that too. This brings tears to my eyes as I write this…’I miss you dad.'”

–Ban Breathnach, Sarah. “Simple Abundance: A Daybook of Comfort and Joy”. Grand Central Publishing. (1976). Kindle Page 134 to 135 of 501.

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

My Abundant Life 4-26-26

On By Heather HoustonIn My Abundant LifeLeave a comment

April 26th, 2026

Major and Minor Chords of Pleasure

“With stammering lips and insufficient sounds, I strive and struggle to deliver right the music of my nature.”

Elizabeth Barrett Browning (English Poet; March 6th, 1806 to June 29th, 1861)

“Psychologists say that deafness, or a severe hearing loss, acquired after a human being has known hearing, can be te single greatest trauma a person can experience.”

Hannah Merker (Writer)

“I wonder if anyone else has an ear so tuned and sharpened as I have, to detect the music, not of the spheres, but of the earth…”

Kate Chopin (American Author; February 8th, 1850 to August 22nd, 1904)

“I love my ability to hear. I have been having so much fun listening to decades of music and film. I delight in waking up to the birds chirping outside our bedroom window.”

–Ban Breathnach, Sarah. “Simple Abundance: A Daybook of Comfort and Joy”. Grand Central Publishing. (1976). Kindle Page 132 to 134 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 4-19-26

On By Heather HoustonIn My Abundant LifeLeave a comment

April 19th, 2026

Spring Rituals of Replenishment

“Let your mind be quiet, realizing the beauty of the world, and the immense, the boundless treasures that it holds in store.

All that you have within you, all that your heart desires, all that your nature so specially fits for–that or the counterpart of it waits embedded in the great Whole, for you. It will surely come to you.

Yet equally surely not one moment before its appointed time will it come. All your crying and fever and reaching out of hands will make no difference.

Therefore do not begin that game at all.”

Edward Carpenter (English Poet and Philosopher; August 29th, 1844 to June 28th, 1929)

“Sacred space and sacred time and something joyous to do is all we need. Almost anything then becomes a continuous and increasing joy.”

Joseph Campbell (American Writer; March 26th, 1904 to October 30th, 1987)

“I have learned to trust the flow of the Universe and ‘IT’ will unfold when it does at the perfect time and better than you could ever had expected or predicted.“

–Ban Breathnach, Sarah. “Simple Abundance: A Daybook of Comfort and Joy”. Grand Central Publishing. (1976). Kindle Page 124 to 125 of 501.

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