Working With What You've Got

Hey everyone!  I hope all of you are having a wonderful week, staying healthy and enjoying your families and friends.   For those sweet ones of you who always read my posts, you know that my "resolve" for this year is to be more "authentic" and to follow the  encouragement of the book I'm reading daily, 'Simple Abundance' by Sarah Ban Breathnach.  Since this is a book written as a "daily reading," I thought I would occasionally share some thoughts about what I'm learning about life and myself.

The title of this post is rather catchy and timely, I think.  Since packing away all of the Christmas glitz, I knew I wanted a more calm and simple environment for The Man and I. 

 Life often times throws you curves, and you have no control to stop them.  What you can control is how you react.  My daily read from this book today is titled "Working With What You've Got," and seems so appropriate for how I want to live.

It is so easy to get caught up in the "rat race" of life and circumstances and allow all of those outside forces to control how we live.  I've been there, too, many times.  You find yourself saying over and over again, "When this gets done" or "If only we had a bigger paycheck" or "When the children are all in school," then I can do this, work on that or begin to live my dreams.  Well, guess what?  Life is constantly changing and adding circumstances beyond our control.

You can decide to sit in the backseat with a limited view and be totally driven by life's circumstances and chaos, or you can move to the driver's seat and begin to set your own pace and enjoy a different view.  Even in dark times there can be hope and abundance, we just have to be more creative and open, and more willing to dig a bit deeper to find our happiness.

Look for some simple things you can do today to lift your spirits -- wear a pretty scarf with your jeans and tee-shirt, use a spritz of that perfume you save for special occasions, put together a soup or stew that will fill your home with its wonderful aroma, call and chat with a friend who might need some positive encouragement, use your best china for dinner tonight, or add a votive to a recycled jar with a ribbon around the neck & sit it somewhere you can enjoy while you work.  

Remember, happiness comes from within and cannot be bought with any amount of money.  Embrace and bless your circumstances.  Do not allow them to control and define who you really are.  You deserve better than that.

Thank you so much for stopping by.  I hope you have a wonderful weekend!

I am happy to be joining Ricki Jill at Art @ Home for 

The 'Simple Abundance' Path!

Hey everyone!  I cannot believe it's already Friday -- where has this week gone?  Some times, in the flurry of activities, I get stressed.  I'm much more of a "home-body" than The Man.  I have quite a lengthy list of projects (some are for him), and a mind that functions much better on routines and order; so being spontaneous, simply relaxing and "going with flow," is very difficult for me.  That's why, every couple of years, I reach for my treasured copy of 'Simple Abundance,' by Sarah Ban Breathnach.    This wonderful book was first released in November 1995.  I'm not much of a daytime TV person, but I occasionally watched Oprah (kind of miss her show) and just happened to tune in the day she was interviewing Sarah about her new release of this book.  I was intrigued and began talking about how much I'd love to have this book; so The Man gave me a copy for Christmas that year.

It was very difficult for me to read it as a daily journal, just one entry per day when I wanted to devour the entire book in a day, but I did it.  I even bought several copies throughout the year and gave them to some friends the following Christmas.  This is the fourth or fifth time I've read this book and gain new insight into who I truly want to be and who I am right now each time I read it.  It's really a book of guidance to help you understand what's really important in your life.

I decided this past December that I wanted to read this book again, and I am so glad I did.  After having chosen "authentic" as my word for the year, I'v been pleasantly surprised at how being "authentic" is a truly common thread in this book.  I find it to be a wonderful way to start my day.  I will probably share more about this book over the year, because there are simple things that the author asks you to do to help feed your soul.  I just start a "Gratitude Journal," which is one of those simple things that can have  huge impact if you open yourself up to it.  In case you can't tell, I love this book!  

This is the excerpt from Amazon:

Simple Abundance is a book of 366 evocative essays-one for every day of your year-written for women who wish to live by their own lights. In the past a woman's spirituality has been separated from her lifestyle. Simple Abundance shows you how your daily life can be an expression of your authentic self ... as you choose the tastiest vegetables from your garden, search for treasures at flea markets, establish a sacred space in your home for meditation, and follow the rhythm of the seasons and the year. Here, for the first time, the mystical alchemy of style and Spirit is celebrated. Every day, your own true path leads you to a happier, more fulfilling and contented way of life-the state of grace known as...simple abundance.  Embrace its gentle lessons, savor its sublime common sense, dare to live its passionate truth, and share its extraordinary and exhilarating gift with every woman you encounter: the authentic self is the Soul made visible.

It isn't too late to add this book to your reading list; even though it's already January 18th, it wouldn't take you very long to catch up and would be so worth the effort!

I am happily joining Ricki Jill at Art at Home for Literary Friday.

Hope ya'll have a wonderful weekend!