Exploits of a Vegan Wannabe

January first marked six months of being vegan, an unexpected delight.  I didn’t plan for the new year to be a milestone, it simply turned out that way as we continued this journey.  What began as a 30 day experiment in July has transitioned into a new way of experiencing life. When we started the 30 day challenge, neither Sandy nor myself imagined it going beyond that. I knew we could maintain it for the 30 days but I expected to end the 30 days banging on the door of our favorite ice cream shop and craving the convenience that went along with being vegetarian and not vegan.

What I never expected was that it would feel like I had found a part of myself that I hadn’t realized was lost. It was like waking up from amnesia and recognizing myself in the mirror for the first time. I instinctively knew that I had tapped into my true self and it felt like home. Becoming vegan never felt like a struggle or foreign like trying to force a new habit that didn’t quite stick. I just read this line by writer Claudia Gray and couldn’t believe how true it is…“self knowledge is better that self control any day.” This vegan journey has given me unexpected self knowledge and shown me that life altering, positive change can and does come from making a few different choices in everyday living, as simple as making different choices about food. Amazing.

Honestly, had I thought for one moment that becoming vegan would have helped me begin to release a lifetime of negative body image while encouraging me to rebuild my fractured relationship with food….I would have dumped the dairy a long time ago, but I also believe that we are most able to accept and allow positive change when we are ready to let it in.  The time wasn’t right until it was.   Typically we alter our eating habits to “fix” ourselves through limitations. We so willingly believe we are too fat, we consume too much of this and drink too much of that. We believe we will be happy when we lose ten pounds or fit into this or that but none of those beliefs foster self love or positive, sustainable change.

Try this one on instead…I am going to have a few meatless meals a week and switch to soy creamer because I care about my health.   I also would love to contribute to animal welfare while helping to repair our environment in a few simple steps each week….now that is rooted in love, possibility and positive change. We all deserve that.

Another unexpected benefit that until now I felt too self conscious to share is that becoming vegan also helped me become smoke free. I have loyally maintained my love/hate relationship with cigarettes for twenty years. I can’t honestly tell you why the vegan challenge severed my ties to nicotine, I just know that it did. Maybe it was becoming temporarily hyper aware of everything I was putting into my mouth. Maybe it was believing that I too was worthy of the love and respect I had reserved for animals. Committing to be as cruelty free as you know how to be requires love…love for animals, love for others and what I  now believe is love for yourself. Loving yourself means that you believe you are worthy of the very best. The very best food, the very best health and the very best experiences.

So, that is where I am, six months into this vegan journey…..writing a blog with Sandy that I absolutely adore, encouraging others to change the world one meal at a time and sharing delicious days with all of you. Thank you for being such an important part of making this journey so much more rewarding each day. I am proud of what we have accomplished together and I look forward to the next six months. This week lets make it happen. This brand new week of a shiny new year is the perfect time to try an exciting meatless recipe, buy some almond milk or coconut milk ice cream and let in the new. Delight in your families reaction when you order your pizza without cheese or whip up  a spicy marinara instead of meat sauce and be prepared for greatness because you deserve it.

Have a delicious day.

Tags: 30 day challenge, compassionate eating, dairy free, going veg, trying vegan, trying vegetarian, vegan, vegan challenge, vegan experience, vegan wannabe