SIMPLE ABUNDANCE
This morning I would like to share my favorite book with all of you. I originally found a copy at a second hand store many years ago and since then, I have purchased many copies as gifts for friends that I knew would appreciate it as much as I do. I recently picked it up again and although I have probably read it more times than I can count, I decided to leaf through it again. It is my go to book when things aren’t quite right and when I can’t put my finger on exactly what.
It was written as a daybook of joy and comfort with one entry for each day of the calendar year, but after all these years, I use it as a quick pick me up. I ask my higher self a question, meditate on it and ask that I be guided to the message I need to read. Sometimes it is one of the quotes in the book, sometimes it is an idea or an outing she describes that would fit best with my situation. Invariably, I am always guided to the perfect section for me.
The author, Sarah Ban Breathnach is a skillful wordsmith and adds joy and humor to the book with every word. After all the times I have read it, it never disappoints and never ceases to amaze me that I can still find things that I don’t recall reading on one of the previous sessions. For me, it is a magical transport to a sacred place. She wrote the book as a sacred quest to explore the six ways of living your life. Gratitude, Simplicity, Order, Harmony, Joy and Beauty are the pillars of the book that she focuses on while taking you on a journey of self exploration and excavation to find your authentic self.
The book is about how to live in a state of grace while creating an authentic lifestyle for yourself and those you love and part of the beauty in that is that we all get to start fresh every 24 hours. It’s a journey through an entire year about finding your authenticity through your daily round of domestic arts, beauty, personal pursuits, fashion and work. She is a masterful writer that draws you in so you want to keep reading. The quotes are wonderful, meaningful and so well matched to the topics she explores and writes about. When I first got the book, I read it start to finish in 2 days. Then I went back and did the activities and actually “lived” the book. Now, it is a cherished tool and an invaluable reference guide that I shall never part with. For me, it has been a life changer. I hope you will pick up a copy for yourself and begin your own journey of self discovery. My guess is that you will be glad that you did.
