1/12 I Am Ready Now
When we first became vegan I felt overwhelmed. I was overwhelmed by all the new things that I felt I didn’t know and by what I perceived were the rules of engagement of being vegan. Avoiding all dairy and honey felt like the least of my concerns. Make your wardrobe and shoe collection cruelty free, scour all of the ingredient labels of make up, shampoo and bath products for dairy or honey…Sigh no more beloved Burt’s Bee’s. Rethink all of your cleaning products and throw out most of your condiments. Oh my goodness.
In an effort to retain my sanity while continuing to be engaged and excited in such a meaningful and cool transition, I decided (with Sandy’s pleading) to focus on the food. Focus on nourishing my body and everything else will fall into place. So far….it has.
Yesterday as I was scanning the aisle for my go to shampoo and conditioner, an idea came over me like the need to sneeze, I want to buy vegan shampoo and conditioner. All of a sudden, I was ready to take the next step in my journey of compassionate consumer. So, that is what I did. I found the organic and natural products (I was in Target, a mainstream department store) and found the Yes To Carrots line.
Their products are crafted using organic fruits and vegetables, are fairly priced and smell delicious. Sounded perfect to me so I threw them in the cart. There it is…one more way to be a compassionate consumer. One more stepping stone on my path to vegan greatness and it didn’t require extra thought, planning or time to execute. I was ready to take it a step further and it happened naturally.
Another bonus to choosing vegantastic products is that the community and eco minded companies that are creating vegan products are so often dedicated to doing great things and sharing the message of compassionate consumption. As I had hoped, when I looked up the Yes To Carrot line I found that a portion of all of their proceeds have been dedicated to the Yes To Carrots™ Seed Fund, a non-profit, 501(C) 3 organization helping to make a difference in people’s lives through sustainable agriculture. Love that.
Because I allowed myself to transition into this vegan lifestyle without expectation, deadlines or reproach, coming to the realization that I was now ready to buy vegan hair care products was exciting. It felt like a new discovery as opposed to another requirement to getting and keeping my VEGAN card. This is my journey to have, mold and enjoy and I am doing just that.
I am enjoying every new discovery on this path of veganism or compassionism and I want to encourage you to do the same, wherever you are on your journey, move forward one meal and hair care product at a time. Allow yourself as much time, patience and practice that you need to incorporate more compassionate choices. Try a meatless day, week or month. Commit to buying only meatless lunch meat for a week and see how it goes. Indulge in some coconut milk ice cream instead of your usual pint of dairy ice cream and revel in the joy of cruelty free confections. Not only will you truly enjoy the changes you are making but you will enjoy the journey. Sustainable change takes time. Allow yourself and enjoy yourself…it is your journey to have.
Have a delicious day.
Tags: compassionate products, dairy free, going veg, trying vegan, vegan, vegan challenge, vegan experience, vegan hair care, vegan products, vegan shampoo and conditioner, vegan wannabe, Yes To Carrots, Yes To Cucumbers
