In my last post, I listed a bunch of little actions even super-busy people could incorporate into their days. And I promptly stopped doing just about all of them. Whoops.

For the last week or two, I’ve felt a bit sluggish and slumpy (it’s a word, I promise). I needed a way to motivate myself to actually practice self-care. A picture of my sister’s fridge flashed in my mind, and I realized I need a sticker chart. Just like my six-year-old niece has.

So yesterday, in an effort to avoid all my other work, I made what I affectionately call a Glow Chart. It has four main categories, with a few specific tasks in each one. The idea is to pick just one or two items from each category each day. If I can do that, I’m sure I’ll start to feel more vibrant.

Because I love data, I created this in excel so I could easily see my progress and assess metrics. (Nothing says relaxed self-care like bar graphs–am I right or am I right?) You can download the chart here and adjust it for your purposes.

Also, big giant thanks for Jen, the Holistic Health Junkie, and Melinda, of I Cook with Wine, for their input on the chart. The Power of Now, creating a happiest moments notebook, and getting enough sleep are just a few of their wonderful suggestions.

What else would you add to your Glow Chart? I’m particularly interested in your suggestions for the Reflect category. I’m not one for organized religion, but I’ve been longing for a more formal spiritual practice and don’t know where to start. If you have ideas, I’d really appreciate hearing them.

In the weeks leading up to today, I couldn’t help but reflect on the last year and think about what I hope for the year to come. I realized how incredibly blessed and joyous and generous twenty-six was, and I hope I can build on that and have an amazing year at 27, too.

Highlights from being 26

• I visited five new countries (Dominican Republic, Senegal, Turkey, Jordan, and Egypt) and stood on three continents (North America, Asia, Africa)…four if you count western Istanbul as Europe.
• I took my very first road trip, exploring the west coast of my very own country.
• I had my first camping experience–finally!
• I let go of some anger I’d been carrying around for far too long.
• I made peace with my legs, which was no small feat.
• I tried doing pushups, and learned that, lo and behold, when I work on them every day, I start to actually be able to do them.
• I began building a business that nurtures my logophile and independent sides.
• I read oodles of good books.
• I revamped the blog a bit.
• And, the absolute best part of the last year? I married my very best friend, the most amazing man I know.

Intentions for 27

• Learn to be more patient, both with myself and with others. (And also in the kitchen–I always get too excited and wind up eating dishes that could’ve used a bit more time.)
• Start learning Ancient Greek. Y’know…for fun.
• Make a home.
• Live more vegan. (I’ve not been eating in accordance with my principles lately, and I’m not ok with that.)
• Keep hiking!
• Learn to rock climb…preferably on a beach in Thailand.
• Work up to doing 25 pushups.
• Begin to explore Southeast Asia.
• Spend more time with my friends and family.
• Rescue a puppy, or at least volunteer at a shelter if life isn’t calm enough to have a pet yet.

What about you? Highlights from the last year? Goals moving forward? What was your favorite birthday?

My legs, as of a few hours ago. I can thank my Swedish blood and life-long aversion to the sun for having legs almost as white as the wall.

With less than a week to go until my twenty-seventh birthday (whoa–that sounds like a real grown-up kind of age), something happened that I never expected: I feel in love with my legs.

My legs and I have had a bit of a rocky history. I remember being thirteen and hearing a friend complain about her calves. I had no idea I was even “supposed” to worry about my calves, but soon I did. Then I heard people complaining about their ankles, and quickly decided mine didn’t measure up. In high school, a friend made (what I’m sure he thought was) an innocent joke about my having fat knees, and so I started worrying about those, too. By the time I made it to college, I had little love for my lower extremities.

And then Celiac Disease reared its ugly head, unbeknownst to me. By my twenty-first birthday, not only did I not like the way my legs looked, but we were in a constant battle and often they were in too much pain (along with the rest of me) to really function properly. It got to the point where I had to make special arrangements with professors so I could skip class when I was in too much pain to make the ten minute walk across campus.

Bit by bit, however, things started to get better. In July 2005 I got my miracle diagnosis, and within days I could walk without pain. Slowly I became more active, and increasingly grateful for my ability to walk. But while I appreciated my legs for being able to take me places, I still felt cheated in a way. How come I couldn’t run without getting injured? Why were all these other people I knew able to do things that I couldn’t? And why was I still unhappy with the appearance of my calves/ankles/knees/whatever?

One hour and over 800 steps later, an amazing view over the valleys surrounding Petra.

So imagine my surprise when, just a few days ago, I was blissing out in the sun after roaming for miles through Petra, Jordan, and scrambling up boulders to get a great view. I was tired, sure, but my legs–my legs–had carried me well over ten miles already that day, and had a few more left in them. I patted them and said thank you (yes, out loud), and realized they’d gotten rather strong over the last few months, too.

Aesthetically, are they exactly what I’d design for myself if I were to start from scratch? No. But at this point, I don’t really care. They’ve taken me to amazing, beautiful places, from Big Sur to Senegal to remote monasteries in Turkey. They’ve allowed me to sit and meditate and explore different yoga poses. They’ve gone on walks with my niece and taken strolls with my husband. They help me ride my bike and explore ancient sites and run errands without using a car.

It’s taken a lifetime, but I can joyfully and honestly say, I love my legs.

Hagia Sophia at Night

In my last post, a recap about visiting Ile de Goree in Senegal, I mentioned that I’d be posting about my travels on Mondays. Then I arrived in Turkey and realized how frustrating it was to type on the similar-but-different keyboard, not to mention the fact that computer access was at a premium. So I said forget it and decided to focus on just enjoying being in the country instead.

And enjoy it I have! We didn’t exactly intend to spend a month+ exploring this country, but lo and behold, today is March 31st, we arrived on the first, and we’re still here. (Though we leave on Saturday night, heading to exciting destination #3 of this trip. I’ll keep you curious for now.) Needless to say, after a month, I’ve got lots of stories and photos and tips and the like to share about Turkey, but for now, I’ll just share some teaser photos. I often crop and edit my photos before posting, but we left our computers at home, so these are exactly as captured on my fabulous Nikon D5000.

Oh, and if you didn’t know this about me already, these photos will quickly make clear what a huge art history nerd I am. I discovered it in high school (when Mrs. Odhner put up this slide during a Medieval History class and my jaw just dropped), majored in it in college, and used it as inspiration to work in the arts for a few years. This trip has been an amazing and joyful rekindling of my (art) history love affair, column-hugging and antiquity-jumping included. I’ve twisted my ankles and skinned my knees and pulled muscles climbing around and exploring all the different sites we’ve visited, and every ouch has been worth it. (For the record–we didn’t typically go to particularly precarious places; I’m just that clumsy, especially when super excited. Like when I’m looking for ancient mosaics.)

The Basilica Cistern, a.k.a. my new obsession

Virgin Mary & Christ Child Mosaic in Hagia Sophia

Handsome husband, about to sip some wine in the town of Sirince, Turkey

...tasting...

...and the realization that this is some of the worst wine we've ever had. And given the language barrier, we're stuck with it. Foiled.

Hanging out with a giant Corinthian column capital in Bergama (Pergamum)

Jumping for joy in the former cistern of Pergamum

The view from the terrace at our hostel (Agora Guesthouse) in Istanbul

Enjoying a swingset break during a walk up a hill on the Black Sea to find a Genoese Castle

Here are some of my favorite moments from the last two weeks of our trip.

In Berkeley with an amazing view of the San Francisco Bay. We stopped off to visit my just-back-in-the-States cousin and his wonderful family.

We saw some beautiful elk near Jedediah Smith Redwood State Park

I often refer to my darling husband as "my giant". He looks downright puny next to that redwood. That's no small feat.

Here I am, crouching inside a fallen redwood trunk.

With my dear friend, Melinda (of www.ICookWithWine.com), in front of the Golden Gate Bridge.

Wine tasting with our San Francisco hosts Melinda and Kevin, the ever-gracious oenophiles.

Michael took this great shot of one of the vineyards.

Doing my requisite yoga in the tasting room. Normal, right? No?

The green roof at the California Academy of Sciences made me feel like I was living in Dr. Seuss book.

This was my first visit to Alcatraz, and I was mesmerized by the decrepit buildings.

Our friends' dog, Grey, who happens to be awesome.

This rhino, in the San Diego Safari Park, is one of only SEVEN of its kind left in the world. Seeing it was at once awesome and heartbreaking.

I have so many thoughts about this trip–from what I learned about how to stay healthy while doing extended traveling to trying to sort out my feelings about zoos–but I’m still reflecting on much of the last four weeks. I can’t wait to see how the next adventure, which is less than a week away, is going to boggle my mind.

Kris Carr, brilliant author of Crazy Sexy Diet

Last night was your last chance to enter my Crazy Sexy Diet giveaway, and I was delighted by the flurry of late entries. Early in the week I tweeted that more people had to enter or else Valerie (of the amazing City Life Eats) would be a shoo-in. You guys definitely gave her some competition, but the random number generator knew what it wanted and selected entry #1, Valerie’s statement on why she wanted to win:

I would love to win this book as while I eat pretty healthfully, I think there is always room for improvement and I would love to cook from Kris’ recipes!

Congratulations, Valerie! I can’t wait to hear about your experience with this book.

If my budget were bigger, I would buy copies for everyone who entered, but, alas, starting a business while traveling extensively doesn’t quite allow for that.

Which doesn’t mean you shouldn’t get this book onto your shelves a.s.a.p. By buying in the next two days (which means before end of day on Saturday, January 22), you’ll help Kris make it to the bestseller lists.

My mom (who has been loving the copy I surprised her with) and I have been talking about the importance of making sure Crazy Sexy Diet is a bestseller. This county needs a health revolution; with this book, Kris can help really make that happen. But it needs major media attention; it needs to be featured in newspapers and magazines and on TV; it needs to reach people beyond those of us who know that kale is the coolest and yoga does wonders. So if this blog (and my facebook, and my twitter feed…) has turned into a near-constant promo for Crazy Sexy Diet, it’s because I think it’s just too stinkin’ important for me to not hustle a little.

If you’re somehow still on the fence about whether to buy this book–and copies for your loved ones–watch Kris glow as she talks about the book in these interviews. Don’t you want more of that sparkle in your life?

• Behind the Scenes of the Crazy Sexy Diet Book Tour
• Chatting it up with the magnetic Danielle LaPorte: Self-Empowered Glowing & the Science of Kris Carr
• Sharing the good stuff with Gabrielle Bernstein of ~ing fame
• Celebrating greens on Good Morning America
• Talking down and dirty about sh*t pickles (that’s right) with the brilliant Marie Forleo

Whew! Can you tell I care just a little bit about this movement? (And that’s what it needs to be–a movement.) I hope this inspires you to chug more greens and spread the word.

On that note, I’m off to explore beautiful San Francisco, where we arrived last night after a quick-but-awesome trip to Portland. First order of business: get car fixed. Second order of business: find somewhere to get a green juice! Happy weekend!

Not to toot my own horn or anything, but I have to tell you: I’m pretty awesome at quitting. Seriously. I’ve quit all kinds of things: jobs I’d fought for (contemporary art museum, art center), an engagement (not this one! Michael and I are very much getting married in two months!), sports teams (soccer, softball, fencing…), leases before the end date (not one, but two), friendships, grad school (once a semester into a program at a prestigious institution), gluten. And that’s just what I think of without trying!

The thing is, quitting is awesome.

It has such a bad reputation, as if The Powers That Be will you serve you up an extra helping of awesome if you slog through something that makes you miserable, just because then you won’t Be A Quitter. Here’s the thing, though:

If you keep pouring your energy into things that your gut/intuition/whatever is screaming at you to abandon, you won’t have any room for what’s going to make you buzz with excitement and the conviction that This Is Right, whatever “this” may be.

Not convinced? Let’s revisit that little list from above, and see what came into my life–sometimes immediately, sometimes with a little grace period–after I quit.

• Museum: Little money, little respect, lots of stress and insecurity –> a month working and traveling in Italy, followed by an offer for a job I’d been courting before I left on my trip.
• Art Center: Little money, lots of frustration –> a year+ in Korea, working at a job that let me pay off my giant pile of debt and find my true path.
• Engagement: Emotionally abusive, extremely controlling, made me miserable in nearly every relationship –> Michael! My dream man! Brilliant, talented, hilarious, exciting, and handsome to boot–I win!
• Sports teams: Pain and frustration –> time to explore things that make me happy…like yoga and reading.
• Leases before: Living situations that were toxic or I’d outgrown –> extremely precious memories of living with my cousin in her last independent days and the chance to set up house in Seoul.
• Grad school: Nights literally crying over statistics homework and money spent on textbooks that didn’t really interest me –> a year of learning about myself in a totally new environment
• Grad school, round 2: Frustration and anxiety about the application process –> time and energy to spend on a project I am pee-my-pants excited about. (More on that later.)
• Gluten: pain, pain, pain, pain, pain, and being fat and unhealthy –> a door to a healthy, vibrant life.

For the record, I’m also postponing (not quitting) the latest Palin challenge. I want my last few days here in Seoul to be about things I enjoy, rather than things I feel compelled to do. I know I’ll have lots of healthy living when I get back to the States, aka the land of Whole Foods, yoga studios, and oceans to run next to.

What can you quit to make room for more awesome in your life? What have you already quit, and how did it help you thrive?

We finally got to take a proper date this weekend. This is a risotto-and-wine-fueled gaze session. (I insisted on a photo as proof that we actually had a moment or two of relaxation this summer. And that I finally managed to put on eye makeup and not screw it up--only took a decade, folks!)

I have been actively cultivating love and joy in my life (more on that later, but Love Lists are a fantastic place to start), and holy smokes has this been successful! As I sit here at 12:30 in the morning, prepping the SAT and ACT after editing a slew of essays and teaching for 13 hours, this lovely little thought floated into my head:

My life is more bountiful and full of love than I ever imagined possible.

What a powerful little snippet to dance its way through my consciousness! Lately I have been struck by just how good life is to me, and I am embracing every little morsel of gratitude I can.

Now time to turn that blissed out little mind of mine back to some standardized tests. The answer is C. Definitely C.

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!

Teaching in Seoul in July is it’s own special brand of intense. We’re currently logging around 80 hour work weeks, and find our lives largely revolving around crazy class schedules. Unfortunately, this leaves little time or energy left over for anything else–running, yoga, blogging, heck, even eating.

To help make this month just a little more manageable, I’m officially reducing my responsibilities to: make it through. If this means I don’t squeeze in a single workout, and emails pile up in my inbox until August (when things slow down a smidge), then that’s the way it’s gotta be.

Good times with family, right around the corner, and I can't wait!

Of course, the great news is that in under two months, my man and I will be back Stateside without a scheduled workday until May. Which means I’ll have ample time to catch up on everything that’s falling by the wayside for now. I’m ok with this temporary imbalance knowing what the future holds. Thanks to all of you for understanding if I slack and seem to be incommunicado for a bit!