I totally, utterly forgot about posting Tuesday.
This is why:
Natural Living (Test)
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Tag Archives: celebrate life list
What’s in a bucket?
Something a little different this week. When I write Green Tips, I try to take examples from what I am doing in my life in real time. Nothing was flowing smoothly for this post, so I decided to pay attention to the unusual amount of buckets in my life. First Joy & Tracy over at Homefries assigned a Summer Bucket List, and then I happened upon an amazing project called Bucket List Publications. This injected some vigor into this last week and got me excited about setting goals and making plans. Since I like to share what I am excited about, here goes:
live big, dream big, love big
Can someone please tell me why buckets have a special significance to our lifelong dreams? I could think of many more romantic or appropriate items, such as a hot air balloon or even a champagne bottle, that I would rather have symbolic meaning for my life. Yes I know we “kick the bucket” and all that, but again, why a bucket? What about a soccer ball? I’d rather go out with a goal…ok that is cheesy, but for god’s sake it has got to be better than a bucket?!
Either way, I have several “bucket” lists. I made one back during my birthday for this year of being 25. I’ll type up a little recap of that with the Summer Bucket List, because a few things overlap. But I’ve also decided to share my big kahuna of a list. I want a different name than Bucket List though! I’ve never been a huge fan of that term. Be Awesome List? Life Goal List? Maybe I’ll go with my theme for this blog – celebrating life through nature and food. So the Celebrate Life list begins… Continue reading
Green Tip #4: Reusable Containers & Kindness
Like last Tuesday, my Green Tip for this week also carries a life lesson, though this one is a bit more involved. I was supposed to fly back to Japan on Saturday, but due to fog and the gods of Air Traffic Control I missed my flight to Narita, which is only a once a day occurrence. That meant I was stuck for 24 hours and would have to miss work on Monday – not an ideal situation. After an hour or so of wanting to mope, I decided I needed to turn things around to make the next 23 much better. I made friends with a woman in the same situation and we decided to share a hotel room and spent a pleasant evening getting to know each other and exploring a bit of Chicago. I also decided to be happy and make lists of what I was grateful for whenever I started to get frumpy about my situation. On the way to our discounted but not complementary hotel room (we got the “distressed passenger rate” ha!), I was rankled that we weren’t put somewhere nearer to the airport, so I started to make a list.
1. I was thankful there was a free shuttle to the hotel and that I was sitting down.
2. Thankful I had a water bottle and could stay hydrated.
3. Thankful I had a travel companion so I wasn’t stuck alone.
4. Thankful I was relatively safe, warm, healthy, and not hungry.
5. Thankful that all a bad day included for me was a missed flight and not something more serious.
It was a simple list but the simple things keep you grounded. I think the reason I wanted to feel sorry for myself was because I had no control over my situation, plus I was a little sad leaving my family. I like to take the initiative always, so lack of control was a hard thing for me to accept, even though I could understand that you can’t hold a plane full of hundreds of people, in a lineup of hundreds of take-offs, for five more minutes. So the only thing we can control is our response to our emotions and situations we find ourselves in. When you are moping about, you deny yourself the chance to find new opportunities. (I think the same applies to food and dietary restrictions.) Our out-of-the-way hotel gave us a ride to the commuter train and I got to have a whole new way to see Chicago and explore Union Station and State Street. I also had a chance to show my new friend some old favorites and we both agreed that we might not have had such a good time had we been alone and unwilling to reach out to someone in a similar situation.
The following morning I started to get a little sad that I would have to use a vacation day for missing work, taking away one day from a trip home I had planned this summer, but then I did some yoga. There again I chose to make the best out of every possible moment, since I had planned to hit the fitness center but realized I had no luggage and no extra clothes. When I am feeling upset or out of sorts I like to exercise so I can clear out crappy feelings or self-pitying cycles and make room for new, positive inspirations. Doing yoga that morning is when I let go of all the little injustices and decided to make what could be a crappy day into the best day yet. My inspiration? Random Acts of Kindness: Airport Version. After all, who could benefit more from an act of kindness than a stressed-out, travel-worn person in an artificial, indoor, almost-trapped environment?
I had gotten a belated Christmas present of $25 from one of my relatives, and I decided to put it to good use. My first act was the best. After ordering some iced tea from a haggardly overworked and unhappy-looking barista, I put a few extra dollars into the tip jar and asked her to do me a favor. I told her to take $10 from my change and use it on the next person in line, putting the rest into the tip jar. The look of astonishment on her face, and then a softening of the stress lines into a smile, told me that I had just turned her day around – and the act of kindness hadn’t even happened! The best part was that she was transformed not as the direct beneficiary of it but simply by being party to it. And the look she gave me not only transformed her outlook on the day, but filled me with such happiness and gratitude that it instantly negated all the junk I had been dealing with in my own little issue.
Then I bought some mini chocolate bars to hand out as well as a card. I wrote inside “You are special and appreciated. THANK YOU for being wonderful!” and I addressed it anonymously and tucked it away in a busy corner of the airport for someone to find. I thanked two elderly police officers for their service and smiled at as many frazzled travelers as I could. Whenever another frustration popped up I just responded with kindness. Flight delayed? Helped a lady with heavy baggage. Lost paperwork? Left some spare change next to a pay phone (they’re still important, especially when you don’t have an American cell phone or can’t afford one). Found out my gluten-free meal request didn’t transfer over to my new flight? Handed out another chocolate bar and got a nice handshake in return. Stuck on the tarmac for two hours? Wrote a draft for a blog post. I just kept being kind and all the crappiness and stress rolled right off my shoulders.
In dealing with less than ideal situations, I took control of my emotions with gratitude, because it is hard to be grateful and unhappy at the same time. Then I took control over my circumstances the only way I could: by making others feel happy. And in the process, I felt phenomenal. In O’Hare Airport people – not known as a place to host many great days.
So how does carrying your own containers fit into all of this? Well first, it is an act of kindness to the environment. Part of having food allergies is planning ahead so you’re not stuck in a jam later, but also learning to live without the heaviness or anxiety over where your next meal might come from (and the control issue pops up again). Even before I followed a special diet, I brought containers of my own food through airport security because it was cheaper and it tasted better. Here is the lunch I had packed at the outset of my trip on Saturday – much better than airport snacks or mainstream airport grub from God knows where full of God knows what.
And any reusable container cuts down on landfill waste, especially during the act of flying, which has a large carbon footprint. I always carry my empty water bottle through security and fill it up (they now have special fountains!) to avoid buying overpriced bottled water.
You can also bring your own takeout containers to restaurants to use for leftovers. Many green-minded businesses encourage this more and more, and I know from my mom’s experience that if you are a regular customer owners are happy to accommodate you. If neither of these is the case – you can still ask! It won’t hurt a thing to try. You can also split entrees to avoid food waste or simply create a restaurant ambiance at home and dine in. Then you definitely have control over what you eat.
And what happened to the remaining kindness money? I used it to buy myself a salad before I got on the plane, since I didn’t know if I would be able to eat any of the on-board meals. Sometimes you need to compromise when you can’t plan ahead or you’re at the end of a very long road with not many choices left. And you often have to show yourself some kindness in order to continue helping others. (In fact, I have a whole new list of acts to accomplish in the next week and next few months. I may even get a plan together to do one every day!)
You also have to concentrate on each moment, being thankful for the time we are given and making the most out of every opportunity. When I was sprinting through terminal K trying to make my original Tokyo flight, I looked like an idiot. I was trying to run with two bags and my pants were also a little loose. So I was balancing a bag in one hand and clutching my pants in a desperate attempt to keep them up, fully aware of how foolish I looked and wishing for once that my pants were tighter. And I thought, man, someday when I am not so bitter about it, this is going to make a great story. I didn’t know “someday” would be the next day, and I have to thank you for that. It didn’t feel very funny at the time, but I knew I could turn the whole situation into a positive story to share with you all here. So thank you for reading and helping me create a space of inspiration, gratitude, kindness, good food, and earthly communal living.
25 Things & Sweet Potato Cakes
breakfast cakes
Hello all!
A little over a month ago, I posted a list of 25 Things for Turning 25. It is a list of year-long and daily goals to improve my quality of life by helping others (and living out a few dreams). I had a fantastic birthday by sharing service with others, probably one of the best I have had ever. Here is a little run down…
3. Take a walk and pick up litter at least once a month. (Twice a month is ideal)
Achieved!
boo litter. yay clean neighborhood.
4. Make a sweet potato and chestnut layer cake, dairy-free cream cheese frosting optional. Achieved! It wasn’t a true cake with flours, etc, but it was the perfect breakfast. See details at the end of this post.
8. Reverse trick or treat
12. Laugh every day. Check
We also visited a friend in the hospital and had a mini party there. At lunch, my friends wanted to treat me, so I put the cost of my lunch into the donation box for the Japan Disaster Relief Fund. I sent out several care packages this month, as well as postcards. I’m going to start sending my mail with a Smile Card so people will pass it on. And I still need your help with these!
1. Get 25 people to make a $25 kiva loan, or more!
Kiva.org is a way to lend directly, in small amounts or microloans, to alleviate poverty while knowing that your contribution really makes a difference.You make a loan, get updates from your lend-ee, and then get paid back! You can make more loans with that money or do a communal loan.
7. Inspire others to send more snail mail.
A handwritten note speaks volumes from the heart. And they usually have really cute stamps at the post office.
14. Inspire 100 people to do better by the environment
Here is where I really need your help – spread the word! Recycle! Choose sustainable seafood! Conserve on water! Eat more greens! Share your thoughts on how we can integrate sustainable living and joy into our every day lives.
Oh! And I did do #17, Eat breakfast at Tsukiji fish market, the week before my birthday. Check! Sorry no pictures though. I was too busy eating.
I’m still working on the others, especially the daily tasks like getting rid of clutter and complimenting a person or laughing every day. And I WILL get in that hot air balloon sometime this year!!!
My birthday breakfast was slices of roasted sweet potatoes layered with my Sweet Potato Puddin’ Spread and topped with coconut cream. If you refrigerate a can of coconut milk (make sure it is BPA free!), you can scoop off the top layer of coconut fat and use it liked whipped cream! It was a wonderfully indulgent, yet healthy, way to start my day.
THANK YOU for reading and following, and here is to another year of joyful, green living!
Special thanks to Mayumi and Akane, who made my birthday extra special by participating in all the events! You guys are the sunshines in my life.
bringing sunshine with me wherever I go
And HAPPY BIRTHDAY today to one of my dearest friends. Sig, you will always have a special place in my heart. ♥
Time to Celebrate…I need your help!
maybe pie for breakfast?
It’s March 1st, in Japan anyway, which means that it is time to officially kick-off my goals for this year. It is a list I’ve made to celebrate my quarter century on this Earth and all the things I want to do to make it better and improve myself.
I was inspired last year by Joy the Baker’s 30 Things for 30 Years (note to self, start photodocumenting this stuff). A few months ago I started reading the helpothers.org Smile Stories and came across this awesome post by MixMingleGlow. I made a list of my own, and now I need your help to make all these things happen! Details below:
25 Things for Turning 25: A Quarter Century at it’s Best
1. Get 25 people to make a $25 kiva loan, or more!
Kiva.org is a way to lend directly, in small amounts or microloans, to alleviate poverty while knowing that your contribution really makes a difference.You make a loan, get updates from your lend-ee, and then get paid back! You can make more loans with that money or do a communal loan.
2. Compliment one person every day
Work in progress: I don’t always make a conscious effort to do this, but I make sure to always let people know how appreciated or thankful I am for what they do. Try it! It makes you feel good.
3. Take a walk and pick up litter at least once a month. (Twice a month is ideal)
Trash is unsightly. Don’t treat your surroundings like a garbage can. This also makes me feel really good. I wear thick gardening gloves and fill up several recyclable bags. Take a walk around your block and tidy it up for yourself and your neighbors!
4. Make a sweet potato and chestnut layer cake, dairy-free cream cheese frosting optional.
In order to make said cake, I’ve got to stop eating them immediately…
Working on it.
5. HOT AIR BALLOON. It’s happening.
It IS happening. Work in progress.
6. Send one care package per month.
How happy are you when you get something in the mail? Pass it on! It could be a friend, neighbor, family member cross country, or a complete stranger. I remember how much fun I had putting together a Red Cross package for flood victims back in 5th grade.
7. Inspire others to send more snail mail.
A handwritten note speaks volumes from the heart. And they usually have really cute stamps at the post office.
8. Reverse trick or treat
Knock on ten doors and present them with some homemade baked goods or a meal. I would never say no to a hot bowl of soup in the middle of winter. Two weeks ago I brought a crock pot of chili into my office and everyone was ecstatic. Not quite fulfilling the requirement, but I plan to do it before the year is out.
9. Be a Buddhist for a day.
I don’t really have this one figured out yet, but the idea is to try something totally new. Buddhism embraces loving kindness and letting go of all anger, fear, hatred, or jealousy. No one needs that in their life.
10. Volunteer at a nursing/assisted living home.
Turns out I live right down the block from one! Very excited to do this. I think I’ll go play my viola, bring some treats, or simply sit and chat.
11. Have a dance party.
Sometimes I do this by myself to get rid of a funky mood. But dancing with other people is a great way to celebrate life. Check out War Dance for an inspirational, uplifting film.
12. Laugh every day.
13. Have a spa day with Mom
Call your Mom and tell her you love her. Or call your mother figure. Or do something wonderful in memory of your Mom. Same goes for Dads. Tell people you love that you love them. You can’t say it enough.
14. Inspire 100 people to do better by the environment
Here is where I really need your help – spread the word! Recycle! Choose sustainable seafood! Conserve on water! Eat more greens! Share your thoughts on how we can integrate sustainable living and joy into our every day lives.
15. Sing more among friends and family
I may be making myself go to karaoke on my actual birthday. But singing makes people happy. Check out this video! (By the way, I think he was a busker, not homeless)
16. Get my family together for Grillsgiving 2012
Being together with family and appreciating good food and company is one of my highest priorities in life.
grilled turkey = best turkey ever
17. Eat sushi for breakfast at Tsukiji
Adventure tiiiiime! Sustainable seafood only.
18. Teach a legit cooking lesson
Share your love of the kitchen with someone else. Or seek out someone to show you!
I forgot I taught 40 kids about Thanksgiving, but that was last year!!! New year new lesson.
19. Do 25 things from the Natural Living Test each month
Act on your priorities.
20. Go to at least one of Jake’s sporting events
Kids are important. Playing with them is super important, especially if you are an adult. Kids know how to have fun.
21. Leave quarters/change in a sandbox for kids to discover.
Day maker right here, for everyone involved.
22. Have a “date” with each member of my family
Big family living an ocean away. Time with them is valuable and precious (even if you live on top of each other).
23. Start training for the next marathon
Exercise. Endorphins. Not producing carbon dioxide in a car? Big bonus. It doesn’t have to be a marathon, but believe in yourself. You can do whatever it is that you want to do.
mile 6
24. Get rid of one thing cluttering my life every day, be it tangible or intangible.
This is one of the BEST things I have ever committed to doing. One thing per day, big or small, means I’m never scared out of doing it. (I routinely assume any household chore is going to involve hours of labor and intensive tests of strength and character. I feel like Samson when I finally take the paltry 15 minutes to clean my toilet) I feel so much better having less stuff and bringing less stuff into my home. Check out this short documentary, based on the book “The Story of Stuff”:
25. Get 25 genuine bear hugs from 25 different people in ONE.DAY.
I love hugs. Don’t you?
Bonus:
(26.) Do something totally crazy, unexpected, off-the-wall, bonkers awesome, aka surprise myself.
So please! Write a comment, send an email or picture, share with us what you are going to do to celebrate life this year! I hope you find as much joy and inspiration from this list as I did making it. I’m really looking forward to accomplishing all these and having some fun!
More great ideas:
what?! you’re an adult now? sort of…
eat, recycle, repeat 