And no, I’m not talking about wedding stuff right now. (Though that’s all coming along just fine. We are super relaxed about the whole ordeal. The vows matter; the party’s a bonus.)

No, I’m talking about Love Lists! Kris Carr posted a simple-but-inspiring blog earlier this week about ten things she loves, and I couldn’t help but think…hey, maybe I should do that. Especially now that I’m not walking around with stealth anger all the time now. (More on that coming in the future. I’m just still processing a few pieces at the moment and deciding how much I want to share.) Anywho, Kris was inspired by Gala Darling, so it’s really been one big delightful e-loop of love.

I popped onto Crazy Sexy Life, aka the website (by which I mean: community) that changed my life and signed up for a new little group called Love Lists. I got approval, and soon I was rearing and ready to go. By the time I signed in the next morning to post some content, I saw that a handful of people had already signed up and posted their very own lists. How great is that?!

My hope is to make Love Lists a regular feature here on Green Junkie Living, but I know better than to promise to commit to something on a regular basis. This will be more of an “as the spirit moves me” deal. That said, I wanted to share my very first lists with you, and invite you to share your own–in the comments here, on your own blog, or, of course, on CSL. The point is: share the love! (And go click on that abundance of links above if you have somehow resisted so far. Join CSL; I’ll be you’re friend. I promise.)

Here is the very first little Love List I posted. What will yours look like?

I’m so glad people have beat me to the punch to post on here! *That* is going on my love list! This is a quick one before I head off to work, but what a great way to start the day.

Love in Kyoto (Gosh he's handsome!)

~Coconut Body Butter from the Body Shop
~Skype phone calls from my 5-year-old niece, and the fact that she gets so excited when my fiance gets on the computer to talk to her
~That my sister and I will often email each other the same exact article at the same exact time. Helps me feel close when I’m far away.
~In 40 days, I get to move back to the States for a while to see my loved ones and take a nice, long break from work
~In less than 100 days, I get to marry the love of my life and best friend.

Have a beautiful day, everyone!

This is just a quick post to plug a site I found recently, Kungaroo: Global Connection through Yoga and Meditation. It’s a ning group for traveling yogis and meditators, and I think it has amazing potential for connecting people around the world. The downside is that right now its membership is pretty puny. I wanted to spread the word in the hopes that maybe this community could take off and really develop a use. If you’re interested, go check it out and sign up (for free!); if you have a ning ID already (CSL and RawFu members already do), all you have to do is register. Don’t you love the idea of taking a trip anywhere and having an easy resource to get the inside scoop on the best yoga studios or just grab a cup of coffee with a likeminded stranger?

A friend is heading back to the States tomorrow, and brought in a slew of goodies from his kitchen. Including Riesens. You know Riesens–those yummy, chewy, chocolatey coffee-licious candies. They got the better of the fierce sugar cravings I’ve been having, so I had one. Then two…three…six. I’d skimmed the ingredients and eaten them before, maybe one or two. Saw “modified food starch” on there, and told myself it’s safe, it’s almost definitely corn. This has been a very convenient li(n)e I’ve told myself over the last few years. I may have been OK had I scoured the ingredients more closely, like I did this evening after I started to get those tell-tale pains in my joints: “Contains milk, wheat, and soy ingredients.” Dammit!

The good news is, I think the amount I consumed was small enough to make me extremely uncomfortable, but not writhing in pain, unable to stand, searching out that one half narcotic pain killer I keep as an absolute emergency. I am taking a cue from the inspiring Maria at Going Down Swinging: A RSD Blog, and refusing to give in to the pain. On my walk home from work, I practiced some deep breathing and visualization techniques (until it occurred to me that closing my eyes for visualizations wasn’t the smartest thing while walking home), and focused my attention on what I wanted to manifest. In other words, I kept telling myself how healthy I am, how smoothly my joints work, and how good I’m going to feel in the morning. To be honest, yeah, I’m still in pain, but I know it’s not going to last. And I just got even more motivation to stop eating packaged foods, and, when I do, to read the stinkin’ labels!

Finally, I recently came across this stellar CSL post by Stefanie Bryn Sacks entitled All About Wheat and Gluten! If you’re curious about the distinction between wheat allergies and gluten allergies, and which companies make the best eats, this blog is a must read.

I loosely divided it into four sectors, with a nice big “Double Happiness” in the middle–because really, that’s what it’s all about, no? The upper left corner is all about my new-found rediscovered passion for green living. When I was in elementary school, 50 Simple Things Kids Can Do to Save the Earth was one of my absolute favorite books. As I got older, I defaulted to green living…when it was convenient. But in the past year or so, I have felt a new sense of urgency when it comes to our planet, and dream of having the greenest home we can.

Contradictory as it may seem, the next corner is all about travel. Given the title and original intention of this blog, this can’t be any surprise. Some of these destinations (those in Asia) are planned for spring of 2011, but the others are a bit up in the air. Seeing the names of places I dream of visiting each day certainly inspires me to find a way to make it happen. And that camera there is my dream purchase so I can play with photography, which I love, and capture my travels.

The upper right corner is focused mostly on health. “Beautiful Back” is my vanity goal. I’m a sucker for backless dresses and halter tops, and I want a strong, toned back when I wear them. Some goals are food related, some sleep, some yoga, some my relationships and spirituality. All pretty straightforward, I think.

Finally, the lower right corner is a bit of a “catch all” category. It speaks to my desire to spend more time in nature, get a puppy or two when we’re settled somewhere, spend more time with poetry and art, and to apply and get accepted to a program for my masters in literature (more on that later).

I realized later that I neglected to add a few things, but had already taken out the recycling and filled up my board. Somehow, I’ll have to find room for these intentions: patience, vegetable garden, head stand, 10 push ups, $0 debt, sunrises, fireplace, Istanbul, Morocco. Most of them are details or expansions or tangents to other items already on the board, but specificity is key, is it not?

Have created a vision board? Do you have plans to? Please share links and experiences in the comments!

*Can you tell I couldn’t come up with a clever title?

If you haven’t already, it would mean a lot to me if you popped over and left a comment (if you’re so inclined).

For those of you not familiar, CSL is a wonderful holistic health community founded by my health hero, Kris Carr. The folks at CSL have given me tremendous support and advice as I continue to work toward my healthiest self. It is an honor to guest post. And if you’re looking to jump start your own wellness, take a peak at the forum, past blogs, and Kris’s recommendations in the CSL store.

Thanks for stopping by this mish-mash of a site. I post about any and all aspects of my life here in Seoul, with a heavy emphasis on health. You might also catch travel photos, ruminations on teaching, and the occasional love post about my fella. Please post a comment, leave a link to your own blog, and let me know what you think. You can also follow me on Twitter if you’re interested.

Cheers and health,

Olivia