Since I don't have any new recipes or updates for you, I figured now was as good a time as any to explain why I've been cultivating what could possibly be described as an obsession.
It all began once upon a time...okay so in elementary school. I had just learned about deforestation and the dire straits the rainforest was in, and I was worried. So I made my mom drive me all over town so I could post homemade "Save the Trees!" signs on light posts. Now I realize that was a bit hypocritical, seeing as how I was writing these heartfelt messages on paper (non-recycled, most likely), but hey, my heart was in a good place.
My parents also helped me "adopt a whale," (I believe from WWF) so I would get regular updates on "my" whale and information on how to help save them all. Not that I did much but stare at the pictures and revel in how cool I was to have a whale.
As I grew up I was still interested in the environment and all that good stuff, but teenage conformity won out over good intentions, and for awhile I wasn't interested in much more than sports and school and dating and learning to drive.
Then, in my junior year of college, I took a nutrition course taught by a wonderful, passionate professor who opened my eyes to the importance of what we put in our bodies. I ended up taking two more of her classes and falling in love with the knowledge and insight I gained. I even wanted to change my major (which would have involved transferring schools...again) except I have a pretty great fear of all things math, and organic chemistry was looming ahead like a jack-in-the-box with an evil grin, just bouncing around and taunting me. What? Those things are scary if they have an evil grin.
So I continued with my English Lit degree and graduated with a 3.9 GPA (no chemistry, as you can clearly tell) and got married and moved away from home to live a big-girl life. When my husband and I moved home two years later, we were ready to start a family. Unfortunately, Life had other plans, and I had a miscarriage in October. Now I have no intention of dwelling on this here, because I'm still not completely over it, but I do want to say that of all the terrible, horrible, painful things that were caused by that loss, something good came out of it. And I can only now admit that.
First, I started working out again on a regular basis. I joined a gym (to make sure I would actually do it, since I was paying for it) and got involved in group fitness classes (which I had never done before because I am embarrassingly uncoordinated at times) and began friendships that would keep me coming back for the comradery and support. Not only does this get me in better shape for my next pregnancy, but it's a form of cheap therapy.
Second, I went back to my nutrition information from college and expanded. Not only did I want to be aware of the food I was putting in my mouth, but all of the other products that went on or near my body. And once I started down that path I realized just how much I didn't know, and I started sucking up information like a sponge. In fact, I'm finding it hard to stop. Just today I practically cleaned out my library's green living section because I have a need to know everything.
I started this blog as a way to track my progress and have the ability to see all the changes I've made (as well as to help me remember all the information I've accumulated). But there's a second reason I'm writing. I've recently come upon a gold mine: extra time. In my new role, I have found the time and energy I never had while working full-time outside of the home. And what better way to use that time than to do the research, testing, and experimenting that needs to be done so you don't have to? I know not everything works for everybody, but I hope that you can at least get some ideas that work for you. And at the very least, I have the space I need to track my green journey.
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