When I was in college, I had a friend that called me Granola Girl. I had a penchant for wearing skirts & dresses over jeans and wearing a bandanna over my hair. I wore hemp necklaces and thrift store clothes. I took art classes and was an English Literature major. I listened to hippie music, though I also loved Radiohead and metal. I liked going camping and went a whole week without taking a shower at a music festival once. In short, I was a hippie, or aspired to be one, at least.

After college I moved home and got a retail job. My hippie days slowly ended and I started dressing better. Even though my free spirited college days were over, that little granola girl was still inside. She has inspired me over the years to reclaim my hippie aspirations, even if I’m wearing skinny jeans and moto boots.

Back in 2005, I used to buy bottled water constantly and then one day I decided that it was kind of silly to pay for water when I had perfectly good tap water. I was also getting more cavities from only drinking bottled water. Once I switched back to tap water, by teeth issues went away. This is not to say that I never buy bottled water, because I do, on occasion. When I was pregnant I drank those 1 liter Smart Waters like they were going out of style. In the early days of breastfeeding I downed those Smart Waters every day. When I travel, I sometimes buy bottled water even though I bring a reusable water bottle, too.

I’ve used cloth napkins since 2005. I rarely buy paper napkins. I got some cute fall napkins when I hosted Thanksgiving one year and some Swedish ones for my son’s first birthday party. For some reason, this fall I thought it would be a good idea to buy 180 paper napkins at Costco for my son’s 2nd birthday party. Now they are staring at me every day and I feel so guilty for buying them and using them up. Ugh.

Perhaps that’s what I mean when I say I’m not so crunchy. According to UrbanDictionary.com the definition of crunchy is:

Adjective. Used to describe persons who have adjusted or altered their lifestyle for environmental reasons. Crunchy persons tend to be politically strongly left-leaning and may be additionally but not exclusively categorized as vegetarians, vegans, eco-tarians, conservationists, environmentalists, neo-hippies, tree huggers, nature enthusiasts, etc. 

Also used to describe establishments where alternative foods and products are sold, i.e. natural food stores. 

Modified derivative of granola.

Now, I can’t say I’m all or any of those things, but I am vegan. I donate to charities that help the earth and people. I love the outdoors. I use vinegar to clean and I want to start composting. I’m a little bit crunchy and still a granola girl at heart.