WARNING - WARNING - WARNING: There are one or two segments of this post that probably aren't for everyone since they deal with what might be considered potentially yucky stuff or they contain forceful opinions that go against popular thinking. Note that most of it is not gross or potentially offensive though and it might be an interesting read.
I am not a damn dirty hippie! Yes, I heard that sentence in my head in Eric Cartman's voice. At least, I don't like to think that I am all that crunchy or granola. But even I must admit that I have some really crunchy & granola tendencies. Read for yourself and decide.
I really, really, really wanted a completely natural drug-free vaginal birth. I totally bought the line about it being so much easier and healthier to do things as nature intended - I still do. However, my sweet little breech baby had other plans and I ended up with a c-section. To this very day (over two years later), I still feel bitter that I was cheated out of that experience. The logical part of my brain is aghast that I'm not simply thankful that I surgically delivered a healthy baby. But my personal holy grail is to have a completely natural drug-free vaginal birth. I will do anything within my power to have that experience for the second child, should we ever have one.
Verdict: I might be a hippie.
I really, really, really wanted to breastfeed. I had scabs on my nipples by the second day of my son's life. Bleeding scabs on my nipples! I was so freaking determined that my son would not have formula that I suffered for days in the hospital and for SEVEN WEEKS at home to make breastfeeding work. I don't quit anything without a fight and I gave it my all. I won. He was exclusively breastfed (no formula - other than what they gave him in the hospital!, cereal, or anything else) for five months. I'm proud that I nursed my son for over one year. And I'm a little sad that I didn't breastfeed through his second year.
Verdict (until last line): I might be a hippie.
Verdict (including last line): Yes, I am a hippie.
I wanted to exclusively cloth diaper my son. Everyone told me that I was totally nuts. After I returned home, I realized that I could not physically reach down into our washing machine. I already felt bad about my husband having to do regular laundry (I folded & put it away though), so I didn't ask him to wash diapers. My son didn't use cloth for the first few months. Once he started using cloth, I only used it at home. Eventually I ended up using cloth all day (whether or not we were at home) and disposable diapers for overnights. The only reason I used 'sposies overnight is because his little bottom would always be red after wearing cloth for twelve-plus hours. I think that using cloth diapers may have helped him get potty trained before he turned two years old. I anticipate primarily using cloth diapers with my second child, should I have one.
Verdict: I might be a hippie.
I quit using disposable tampons around six months ago or so. My red has gone green I guess you could say. Who knew your period could be so damned hip?! I was truly surprised at all the options for reusable menstrual products. I personally like the Diva Cup. I'm also considering purchasing some mama cloth as backup for my heavy flow days.
Verdict: Oh, yes, I am definitely a hippie.
I'm pretty comfortable with my body. I don't think there's anything wrong with going to nude beaches (RIP Trail 6) and I used to frequent them fairly often. I don't like regular volleyball either, but nude volleyball has always been tremendously off-putting to me. But I love how the sun's rays feel on my bare skin. Being naked and being outside feels good!
Verdict: Yes, I am a hippie.
I don't worry about "toxins" or "chemicals." I don't see the benefit of chelation therapy, colonic irrigation/cleansing, enemas, douching, or detox diets. I don't buy anything organic and I have no problem using fertilizers or pesticides in my own vegetable garden or for my own fruit trees. I think vaccines have saved far more lives than they have ruined. I trust modern medicine and I don't put any faith in witch-doctory nonsense. If you think supplements, vitamins, herbs, tinctures, reflexology, aromatherapy, fill in the blank works, well, I'm glad you do. But I do not.
Verdict: I am not a hippie.
I believe having a good and honest chiropractor is a gift. But I do not believe they are worth much more than adjusting your spine when it's out of alignment. I do not believe that the alignment (or mis-alignment) of your spine has any impact on whether or not you end up suffering from a major medical illness, such as cancer. Chiropractors massage your back and neck and that feels good & all, but it doesn't prevent or cure any major diseases. True story: I dated a Chiropractor once and it made him mental when I'd ask him to "crack my back" - small wonder that we didn't date long. Witch-doctor. And a cheater.
Verdict: I am not a hippie.
I don't get the whole hybrid vehicle craze. Driving one means, what? That you get good mileage in stop & go traffic? Whoop-de-doo. Plenty of vehicles get highway mileage that totally smokes that of hybrids and many get comparable city mileage. Yet hybrid owners frequently act like they are single-handedly saving the planet because they are driving what is is essentially a disposable car. Um, okay. Sorry, I love a big & mean V-8 with plenty of ponies under the hood and I hate the pussified look of most hybrids. I ADORE the look of the new Dodge Challenger and I really like the new Chevy Camaro. So call me an eco-criminal.
Verdict: I am not a hippie.
Ever since I turned 18, I've nearly always voted Republican. As I've matured, I find that I'm far less conservative and far more libertarian. I don't give a crap what someone does with their own time and their own body. Wanna do drugs? Go ahead. Wanna marry a guy/girl? I don't care. Wanna burn the American flag, pray to rocks, howl at the moon? Go for it! Wanna take even more tax dollars from hard-working Americans to benefit those who don't pay nearly the same amount into the system? Now we have a big problem. Wanna punish people for working hard by taxing their income at a higher rate? I definitely have a problem with that. I guess you could say that I'm socially libertarian and fiscally conservative. Unfortunately, so many politicians who have the nerve to call themselves "conservative" are anything but that. To paraphrase the late President Ronald Reagan: I didn't leave my party. My party left me.
Verdict (based on first sentence): I am not a hippie.
Verdict (based on entire statement): I might be a hippie.
Abortion? I saw and heard my son's heartbeat at my 6-week prenatal checkup. At just six-weeks, that little one has a heartbeat that is unique. Like it or not, abortion stops a beating heart. That makes it murder to me. However, if a woman can live with the blood of an innocent on her hands, well, I guess that's her choice. I don't have to live with her choice. Please don't think that I'm being callous because I'm not. I feel for women who have had abortions and I'm painfully aware of the emotionally pain they often suffer afterward. In an ideal world, contraception would be 100% effective (and morning-after pills would be OTC) and abortion would not exist. But this is not an ideal world.
Verdict: You know, I'm not sure what my opinion means here?
I don't really care one way or another about male circumcision. I love my husband, but I've been friendly with a variety of penii in my life. Um, only three though - haha! Though the majority were cut, I had a three-year relationship with an uncircumcised man and I've known others. I don't care if it's a mushroom cap or an anteater, I like them all and they all are unique. When I learned that I was having a son, I spoke with several men on the matter. Three men had to have circumcision later in life. And they thought it was the worst pain imaginable. Their ages were three, eleven and in their 70s when they had their circumcisions. I did not make the ultimate decision on whether or not my son was cut. I don't have a penis and I don't really have an opinion on the matter. Though I'll share all sorts of personal info about myself, I will not divulge whether or not my son has been circumcised because that's his personal business and it's not my place to share.
Verdict: I am not a hippie.
I don't like to think that I am a hippie, but I might be. What's your verdict?
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