In the mid-nineties, Sarah Ban Breathnach’s Simple Abundance was published. If you were a fan of the Oprah Winfrey show, you may have watched her breathlessly describe how this book changed her life. It IS a wonderful book and one that I bought again (after losing my copy during university moves) during COVID. The premise of the book is to enjoy the simple joys of every day life and look inward to see what our deepest desires are.

For all the simple joys, the author ended up having some not great life changes in the years that followed but I still find comfort and encouragement in the pages of Simple Abundance.
My favourite parts of the book are the “Joyful Simplicities” that are listed at the end of each month (the book is divided into months and themes, with an entry and quote for each day). They are suggestions for simple ways to celebrate the month such as “[remembering] that ice cream is good for the soul” (June) or “mull cider and/or wine on the weekends for an autumn cup of cheer” (October).
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