mindful living — Blog — The Greenest Blue

My Three Favorite Plant-Based Food Blogs in 2020

I know I’m not the only one with a family that’s been spending way more time in the kitchen than normal, courtesy of the current ‘ronacoaster. I’ve been whipping up homemade granola bars, getting creative with the toppings on my freshly popped popcorn for movie nights, and trying out most of the recipes from a vegan cookbook I was gifted for my birthday (written by one of the gals I’m about to mention in this post). Kitchen time = quality time.

I’m not going to lie, though; I did go on a bit of a hiatus from cooking for a while this past year. I was finding it incredibly draining to cook for myself all the time, especially when I was around others that didn’t want to eat vegan, and eventually, I found my love for being in the kitchen draining out of me faster than my girls and I drain a bottle of wine.

Old Threads, New Life - An Eco-Friendly Approach to Fashion with Thrift Store Finds

My friend Fi and I had some fun creating this blog post on eco-friendly fashion, the thrift-store way. Thrift shopping is an awesome way to share some love with the planet and refresh your wardrobe. Fast fashion is straining our planet’s resources - read more about what you can do to ditch this approach to shopping and adopt a more sustainable attitude.

Lemons, Heart Rate, Stillness, and Writing - My Morning Ritual & Self-Care for a Better Planet

Lately I’ve been thinking a lot about routines and rituals. Specifically, I’ve been contemplating how important they can be for our mental and emotional health, and how sometimes, even maintaining a semblance of ordinary or familiarity can help you adjust to challenging new situations that would otherwise be rather anxiety-inducing. I’ve started keeping a few different routines over the past several months. Right now, in hindsight, I find this interesting, as my mantras used to be evolve or be left behind, accept change, adapt constantly, don’t get attached to things that you attribute to your identity, you are constantly in metamorphosis… I never liked the idea of a routine. I thought I would be wasting opportunities to try something new if I kept repeating old habits.

But maybe the real beauty lies in the fact that you can enjoy self-transformation while staying consistent and true to actions that are serving you - i.e. some sort of routine

3 Environmental Issues to Care About When you Travel to Maui

So I’ve been on an extended stopover in Maui, visiting some very beautiful, kindhearted friends of mine, many of whom I used to live and work with. I am slowly making my way south towards the Southern Hemisphere, but while waiting for some visa paperwork to process, I couldn’t not stop on the most isolated island chain in the world! Maui holds a special place in my heart because it represents a very dynamic time in my young twenties. I moved out here on a whim (and since then, each subsequent move has become easier and easier) to explore what it meant to be a marine naturalist.

Mindful Travel, Part 4: 3 Things to Think Critically About Before You Buy a Plane Ticket

The world is essentially a global village now. If you save up the funds and are willing to plan, you can almost go anywhere. Formerly remote and untouched places are changing fast because of our “travel NOW” and escapist mentality that is leading us to escape farther, be more epic, get off the beaten track, snap those wanderlust-worthy social media pics. When I was in college, I was constantly daydreaming over travel Pinterest boards and writing quotes about going out to see the world, experience things, discover myself and learn by immersion instead of just through books and articles.

Mindful Travel, Part 3: A Day Trip to Lady Elliot Island

This past August, I had the good fortune of flying out to a little island north of Fraser called Lady Elliot. Located off the coast of southern Queensland, it is one of the southernmost cays of the Great Barrier Reef and is known for its abundance of sea turtles, manta rays, reef sharks, and spectacular array of other marine species. The moment I arrived in Hervey Bay, I was surrounded by chatter about Lady Elliot and people who gushed over how amazing it was. Literally, I’d be sitting at the office at work and multiple other crew members from different boats in the harbor would bustle by and stop in for a chat, and inevitably, Lady Elliot would come up. “You have to go. That place is insane.”

Week 4: 8 Weeks to a Greener Life & a Bluer Sea - The Importance of Delayed Gratification

When we want or need something, it's as easy as opening our browser to Amazon.com or driving to Target and feeling that rush of immediate gratification. No thought required. Just a credit card and a desire.

This scares me. You know the feeling of emptiness that comes after an impulse buy? It's like a cloud of confusion. It's not satisfying us the way we thought it would. The thing we bought didn't solve our problems. It didn't make us happier (because only you can make you happier). We often choose what is easy instead of what is better in the long run. Maybe our brains are wired that way. Survival, man! But, it's no good.

Marine mammals inspired me to seek a greener lifestyle. What inspires you?