Breathnach Sarah Ban - A Mans Journey to Simple Abundance

ALSO BY SARAH BAN BREATHNACH

Simple Abundance A Daybook of Comfort and Joy

The Simple Abundance Journal of Gratitude

Something More Excavating Your Authentic Self

The Illustrated Discovery Journal Creating a Visual Biography of Your Authentic Self

The Simple Abundance Companion Following Your Authentic Path to Something More

Hold That Thought

Mrs. Sharps Traditions Nostalgic Suggestions for Re-creating the Family Celebrations and Seasonal Pastimes of the Victorian Home (published in paperback as Victorian Family Celebrations)

The Victorian Nursery Companion

ALSO BY MICHAEL SEGELL

Standup Guy Masculinity That Works

SCRIBNER
SIMPLE ABUNDANCE PRESS
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I would like to gratefully acknowledge all the writers I have quoted from for their wisdom, comfort, and inspiration. An exhaustive search was undertaken to determine whether previously published material included in this book required permission to reprint. If there has been an error, I apologize and a correction will be made in subsequent editions.

Sarah Ban Breathnach

Copyright 2000 by Simple Abundance, Inc.

All rights reserved, including the right of reproduction in whole or in part in any form.

The moral rights of Sarah Ban Breathnach to be identified as the creator of this work have been asserted.

Simple Abundance is a registered trademark of Simple Abundance, Inc.

The Simple Abundance Press is a trademark of Simple Abundance, Inc.

DESIGNED BY ERICH HOBBING

ISBN 0-7432-2189-3

eISBN: 978-0-743-22189-4
ISBN: 978-0-743-22189-4

www.Simonspeakers.com

See page 438 for a continuation of the copyright page.

There are no perfect men, of course, but some are more perfect than others, and we can use all of those we can get.

MERLE SHAIN

For the men who have loved me, But especially for those nearly perfect few who have let me love them.

SBB

by Christopher Dickey

by Roger Evans

by Geoffrey Norman

by Michael Segell

by Richard Bausch

by Greg Bestick

by Charles Siebert

by Roshi Jakusho Kwong

by Daniel Menaker

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by Harold Evans

by Corky Carroll

by Greg Bestick

by Terrence Deacon

by Rabbi Shmuley Boteach

by John Tierney

by Adin Steinsaltz

by Thomas Moore

by Jake Morrissey

A Mans Journey to SIMPLE ABUNDANCE

Man and woman He created them.

Book of Genesis

From ancient times we have been told that human beings were created in Spirits image. However, as the acclaimed television journalist Bill Moyers reminds us, being made in the likeness of God does not mean we were made to think alike.

Especially women and men.

One of my favorite parts of the Bible is the story of Adam and Eve. I find it fascinating that there are two startling accounts of creation in the Book of Genesis, and they completely contradict each other. One could be called Eves recollection, which has God creating both masculine and feminine energy in a single breath. In Adams version, of course, he comes first. This original He Says/She Says also amused Mark Twain, who wrote The Diary of Adam and Eve, tracing the battle of the sexes back to the observation, The new creature with the long hair is a good deal in the way. It is always hanging around and following me about. I dont like this; I am not used to company.

To tell the truth, since Im an incurable romantic, I actually prefer Adams version because its the original love story. After Adam is created, he wanders through Eden and then asks the inevitable question of his Maker: Why are there two of every living creature but me? God realizes that its not good for man to be alone. I have always wondered if Spirit created a companion for Adam as an afterthought, or was He just waiting patiently for Adam to have an epiphany? Something or someone was missing.

So Adam is told to take a nap and when he does he has a wild dream. In it, God uses one of his ribs to craft the first soul mate. I think this imagery is exquisite. God removes a bone from the barrier that protects a mans heart to create the woman meant to fill it. The poet e.e. cummings describes this miracle best: Ones not half of two, its two that are halves of one.

I think A Mans Journey to Simple Abundance deepens and broadens the eternal romance between Adam and Eve. Certainly, it was written in the spirit of bringing men and women closer together by revealing our similarities, not just our differences. Part owners manual, part guidebook, A Mans Journey to Simple Abundance examines the private pilgrimages that occur in every mans life and the compass that steers him toward lifes true north.

One of the most unexpected and meaningful compliments Ive received about Simple Abundance is that it has enabled men to understand whats really important to the women they lovewhether its their wives, daughters, sisters, mothers, or friends. As one man put it, Youve given men the Rosetta stone. Weve tried to accomplish the same thing here. I say we because this book has been a collaborative effort of the first magnitude.

Theres a reason its taken so long for there to be a mens Simple Abundance. The heart of my philosophy celebrates living authentically. Being a woman, I know how a woman thinks, feels, frets, and loves. But as much as I adore men, I understand as much about them as Eve did on her first day in Eden. Realizing and honoring the differences between the sexes, I knew that if there was to be a mens version of Simple Abundance, Id need the right collaborator to help me explore the last great spiritual adventure, the quest for understanding male emotions. I found him in Michael Segell, the former Male Mind columnist for Esquire and the author of Standup Guy: Masculinity That Works, a personal and provocative dispatch from behind the front lines of the gender wars. Think of us as agents provocateurs dedicated to getting men and women together again on the page. All of the introductions before each essay were written by Michael Segell except for one, which I wrote. Frequently, though, the essays triggered such a personal reaction in me that I felt compelled to flash a feminine response afterward.