Have you ever been called a tree hugger?
If so chances are it was not in the good way. For me tonight it really was meant in the best way. My father was talking to other distant family members around dinner and mentioned I am his tree hugging daughter that gets paid to blog. I do earn a bit from my blog. I love to write and don’t most people dream of being paid to do what they love? It was a wonderful feeling I have to say.
Then I was asked just what a tree hugger is. I had to explain that hippies where sometimes called tree huggers. Free love, love the earth, make peace and babies not bombs and war and such. I think Tree Hugger came out of that movement and left the music and drugs behind it. I then went on to explain that I am a crunchy parent. Organics, Eco-Friendly, Buy Local, Buy Handmade, peacefully parent, co-sleep, cloth diaper, home birth, breastfeed, homeschool and just so very much more. It is hard to sum up. It would be like trying to sum up a whole culture that is alien to someone in just one breath.
I love being a crunchy blogger! I get to share my love of things like hand made silver jewelry, cloth mama pads, organic baby foods, safe cleaners, handmade cards, parenting workshops, and much more. Again, one can simply not sum it all up. It is a lifestyle akin to living healthy, but rather it is more focused on family and not just self and not just the body. Goodness knows there are far better health bloggers out there than I am. I love hearing though about how I am one of some of my readers favorite crunchy Mommy blogs! Who would love hearing this?
I go out of my way to guy hand made or local or organic. Sometimes I can get all three and other times I can only get one of those things in a given item. I feel good about trying though at least.
On the way out of town my husband noted that he had put the trash and recycle bins down by the driveway and how great it always feels to have one bag of trash and a huge over flowing recycling bin. It makes me smile too. Maybe if such things make you smile too, maybe you could be a tree hugger too? I think it is a good thing!
