MY VEGAN PATH

Well, this is my first attempt to create a blog. I am not an expert writer by any means, but I wanted to express my thoughts to other Veganwannabes. I have been a semi-vegan-vegetarian for a little over a year now, and I guess you could say there have been many bumps in the road. I find most of the bumps are from others who think this is too far out, and a bit of the pain in the neck. That is why I have not confessed my new and improved eating habits to everyone I know. I can truly say that I am a pure vegan when preparing my own meals at home, but I do have a social life which entails eating in restaurants and at friends' houses. The biggest task is to please your host and not offend their meal preparation. I almost dread the time I have to sit down for a meal and I just hope they don't notice that I have not eaten everything on my plate. It is also frowned upon if I bring my own soy burger, side dish or meal. And there are times when I don't tell the host about my 'special' diet. That is when I have to be very creative. I will sometimes hide the meat under something so they won't notice. I have felt like a child not cleaning her plate and angering her parents. There have also been occasions where I do have to partake in animal flesh or die from embarrassment because of what they call my strange eating habits. That is why I cannot say I have completed my Vegetarian/Vegan training yet. I am still a vegan neophyte.

But alas I am getting much stronger now. I am coming out of the vegan closet and disclosing, to those friends I can be open with, that I am attempting to become a vegan. Yes, one of those 'California-health conscious-freako-tree-hugging' vegans. It is getting a little easier for me now as many restaurants are adding vegan and vegetarian items on the menu. I think this is partly due to the fact that it is fast becoming somewhat of a fad to be anti-meat, which is fine with me. Many who say they are vegans only want to jump on the bandwagon, even if for a short time. It is now very 'cool' with the younger generation (I am not with this persuasion), so there are many out there who want to give it a try. However, some do not follow the true vegan diet. That's ok with me also. Join. It makes it more recognizable to the public and could possibly even encourage people to read about this so-called weird sect that has suddenly 'enlightened the world'.

I must admit, I started this endeavor for the selfish reason to become healthier. I have high cholesterol and nothing was working to lower it. I was exercising, eating a low cholesterol diet and taking all kinds of vitamins, but nothing was working. Then I decided to try a vegetarian diet. This helped lower my cholesterol, but not significantly. So I started reading vegan books about people who were following veganism. It all seemed so logical when you read about our bodies and what they truly need in the way of nutrition. So I decided to go 'all the way' so to speak. A bonafide veganist. Certainly not of the hardcore, abolitionist variety, just at the Vegan 101 level.

I always avoided the most important reason for this lifestyle, the brutalization of animals. I knew what had been done to them and I tried to not watch or read anything about it. I knew it would be something I could not endure. I love animals so much that I can't support any kind of abuse they may have suffered, and I knew this would change me. I didn't want to become a radical loud-mouthed opinionated vegan. I tend to be somewhat hard-nosed myself, but I was one of those meat-eating non-vegans so I have no reason to condemn. I'd been raised on hamburgers, steaks and fried chicken. I had been a hardcore carnivore!

So I decided it was time to face reality and read and watch everything. I watched Earthlings, Food Inc., read all the books on the vegan lifestyle, joined facebook groups, twittered anybody who was a vegan. I immersed myself. After absorbing all this material, my heart is still aching from all the pain and suffering these animals have had to withstand. No living animal should ever go through that life that we have created for them. I knew it would make me a different person, and I couldn't face what I knew was to be true. But I did, and now I am. I am a person who is trying her hardest to change her lifestyle, eating habits and help change the environment.

I will not be pushy or become one who preaches, but if asked, I will explain my reasons for why I am changing my way of life. And I ask all of you who are in my shoes to keep struggling and don't let those who are hunters, fishermen, and judgmental non-vegans dissuade you. Be firm in your beliefs. Don't let them intimidate you into thinking this is a ridiculous way to live. It is your body, your mind and your spirit. Pave the way for others if you can. Have them read before they pass sentence. Help them be informed in subtle ways that will not aggravate them. This is merely our belief system and if we choose this way of life, we ask that others respect our choices without critical observations.

I still have a long way to go, but I am getting more confident of my choices for not contributing to the genocidal-type treatment of animals, helping change the environment and for living a healthier, more vibrant life.