“In order that people may be happy in their work, these three things are needed: They must be fir for it. They must not do too much of it. And they must have a sense of success in it.”
John Ruskin (English Polymath & Writer; February 8th 1819 to January 20th, 1900)
“To be buried in lava and not turn a hair, it is then a man shows what stuff he is made of.”
Samuel Beckett (Irish Novelist & Playwright; April 13th, 1906 to December 22nd, 1989)
“When in doubt throw it away. You don’t need it. You don’t want it. You forgot you even had it, so don’t keep it. No, it will not come in handy some day. Furthermore, you do not, under any circumstances, want the contents of your junk drawers ending up being thrown into ‘junk boxes’.”
“So uncanny how we are actually in the throws of sorting boxes from storage to choose what to keep and what to discard or donate. It is a lot of work AND invigorating to live more simply.”
–Ban Breathnach, Sarah. “Simple Abundance: A Daybook of Comfort and Joy”. Grand Central Publishing. (1976). Kindle Page 163 to 165 of 501.
I challenge each of you on this blog series to post comments so we all can grow together.
A Welcome Retreat: Home as a Haven in a Hectic World
“Every spirit builds itself a house, and beyond its house a world, and beyond its world a heaven. Know then that world exists for you.”
Ralph Waldo Emerson (American Essayist; May 25th, 1803 to April 27th, 1882)
“…heaven on earth…not only from injury, but from all terror, doubt and division.”
John Ruskin (English Polymath and Writer; December 10th, 1907 to November 8th, 1998)
“Home is where we start from.”
T. S. Eliot (Poet & Essayist; September 26th, 1888 to January 4th, 1965)
“Begin believing that the time, energy, and emotion you invest daily in the soulcraft of homecaring—carving out a haven for yourself and those dear to you—is a sacred endeavor.”
“I have always cherished the early morning hours when I get up and clean-up the kitchen from the previous nights activities. To set-up the coffee for my love and feel that my start to the day is complete. A clean and orderly home clears my mind of the unnecessary dialogue. Each day I live into my life with enthusiasm and energy knowing my home is my haven and I treat her with respect and keep maintained as my families sanctuary.”
–Ban Breathnach, Sarah. “Simple Abundance: A Daybook of Comfort and Joy”. Grand Central Publishing. (1976). Kindle Page 144 to 145 of 501.
I challenge each of you on this blog series to post comments so we all can grow together.
“The greatest thing a human being ever does in this world is to see something. …To see clearly is poetry, prophecy and religion, all in one.”
John Ruskin (English Polymath and Writer; February 8th, 1819 to January 20th, 1900)
“If only we could pull out our brains and use only our eyes.”
Pablo Picasso (Spanish Painter and Sculptor; October 25th, 1881 to April 8th, 1973)
“One eye sees, the other feels.”
Paul Klee (Swiss-German Artist; December 18th, 1879 to June 29th, 1940)
“In a way nobody sees a flower really, it is so small, we haven’t the time–and to see takes time, like to have a friend takes time.”
Georgia O’Keeffe (American Painter; November 15th, 1887 to March 6th, 1986)
“To see takes time. We haven’t the time. Here is the unrelenting truth and it’s chilling to the soul. Most of us have been given a miraculous gift–the ability to see–but we don’t take the time to do more than glance around. We take our sense of sight for granted.”
“I love my ability to see, just look at all the eagle sightings I post. I have a bit of an eagle eye.”
–Ban Breathnach, Sarah. “Simple Abundance: A Daybook of Comfort and Joy”. Grand Central Publishing. (1976). Kindle Page 131 to 132 of 501.
I challenge each of you on this blog series to post comments so we all can grow together.
Thomas Stearns Eliot OM (Known as: T.S. Eliot) (Poet, Essayist, Publisher, Playwright, Literary Critic and Editor; September 26th, 1888 ~ January 4th, 1965)
“When we live our lives authentically, we discover our true place in the world for the first time.”
“It takes tenacity and daring to travel to the darkest interior of one’s self. Who knows what we might find there?”
“It does not do to leave a live dragon out of your calculations, if you live near him.”
John Ronald Reuel Tolkien CBE FRSL (known as: J. R. R. Tolkien) (English Writer, Poet, Philologist, and Academic; January 3rd, 1892 ~ September 2nd, 1973)
“Our dragons are our fears : our day stalkers, our night sweats. Fear of the unknown. Fear of failing. Fear of starting something new and not finishing. Again. Or the real fear, the one that sends shivers up our spines: the fear of succeeding, of becoming our authentic selves and facing the changes that will inevitably bring. We ight not be happy with the way we are living now, but at least it’s daftly familiar.”
“…there is really nothing to fear from self-awareness because at the end of all our personal ecploration, we will arrive back where we started and know in our hearts that we finally belong there.”
Thomas Stearns Eliot OM (Known as: T.S. Eliot) (Poet, Essayist, Publisher, Playwright, Literary Critic and Editor; September 26th, 1888 ~ January 4th, 1965)
“Today, if you feel frightened or unsure about the future, pick up the double-edged sword of Light and Love. Always remember, it’s simple not an adventure worth telling if there aren’t any dragons. But as in the best old tales, at the end of your exploring, you will live happily ever after.”
See the King Penguins on Volunteer Point, Falkland Islands
Before my story began…(Heather Houston 2-16-22)
1972 Me…at my Aunt Carrie’s Baby Shower
“I drove the MINI Cooper out of the garage tis morning for the first time since I purchased it last night. Wouldn’t you know it, As I pulled out the garage a warning light came on…”Low Tire”. UGH! I got out checked all the tires and they felt just fine. I choose to drive to work and check the pressure and then reset the light. I think during the detailing a setting malfunctioned. This is new for me to not worry myself to death about something minor. YEAH ME!” (Heather Houston 2-16-22)
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“The dragons that lurk in the shadows of our lives can only be slayed with the double edge sword of love and light. Lately, I have been feeling empty in my job. It is not using my skills and I am surrounded by extremely needy people who suck the energy from people like myself. As an empath, I have to buffer myself from people who are vampires. I need to find something that fulfills my purpose and what gifts I can provide the world. Funny how when we age we must reinvent ourselves.” (Heather Houston 2-16-26)
–Ban Breathnach, Sarah. “Simple Abundance: A Daybook of Comfort and Joy”. Grand Central Publishing. (1976). Kindle Page 50-51 of 501.
I challenge each of you on this blog series to post comments so we all can grow together.
“I like living. I have sometimes been wildly, despairingly, acutely miserable, racked with sorrow, but through it all I still know quite certainly that just to be alive is a grand thing.”
Dame Agatha Mary Clarissa Christie (known as: Lady Mallowan or DBE) (English Writer; September 15th, 1890 ~ January 12th, 1976)
“For some of us the thought of trusting a power outside ourselves to help make our dreams come true is definitely a threatening concept, especially if we’re used to being in control—or rather, used to the illusion of being in control.”
“This is a challenging idea, as I do not believe in a god/God. However, I do believe the universe has an energy within it that links us all to one another. Tapping into this is the key to “flow”. I strive to find my “flow” each and every day.” (Heather Houston 1-21-22 & 1-21-26)
–Ban Breathnach, Sarah. “Simple Abundance: A Daybook of Comfort and Joy”. Grand Central Publishing. (1976). Kindle Page 21-22 of 501.
I challenge each of you on this blog series to post comments so we all can grow together.
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.
My Distilled Life 