Exploits of a Vegan Wannabe

Today is my 40th birthday. I have the day off work, a new sled with Snowmageddon in the forecast and plans to play with people I cherish. I am excited and grateful. In my heart I have carried around two goals to reach before this day….to run  a half marathon and to get a hole in one. As you know…one down, one to go. I told Sandy that this clearly meant  I needed to quit my jobs to dedicate my life to golfing in the sun. She loved that.

For today’s post I had almost decided that I wanted to share a passage from one of my favorite authors, Louise L.  Hay. Her writings have taught me how to forgive, to practice self love and to foster and express gratitude. I can’t explain why, but the thought of sharing something so personal made me feel insecure. For that reason, I questioned it for two days, until yesterday. Two affirming, awesome and cool things happened. I would like to share them with you , along with a passage from Louise L. Hay.

Yesterday as I was making myself a cup of hot tea (fretting about sharing a gratitude post on the blog today)  I went back and forth deciding which tea to brew.  Lately I have been addicted to Yogi Ginger Tea and automatically grabbed that, until I saw the Yogi Antioxidant Tea and reconsidered. As I yanked the tea bag out of its sleeve I noticed something was written on the tag at the end of the string. It said, “An attitude of gratitude brings opportunities.” This is a common message peppered throughout the writings of  Louise Hay. I smiled and shook my head thinking,”Thanks for the sign…I’ll share the passage.”

Then…several hours later at home, having made up my mind to share,  I grabbed three of my Louise Hay books so I could peruse them and find the right passage that seemed fitting, when I suddenly dropped one of the books. It falls to the  floor and lands splayed open. A greeting card flies out onto the floor that evidently I had been using as a bookmark. I look at the card and it has an image of a birthday cake on it. It is a birthday card that was given to me last year!! Weird right?!

So, I’ll share that place that was bookmarked with just one of the many beautiful affirmations that have helped me to learn to love, accept and appreciate who I am, as I am. I have squandered  many of my forty years degrading, belittling and questioning myself…well, not anymore. Everyday I work toward loving, respecting and admiring myself a little bit more and I invite you to do the same. I am looking forward to another forty years of practice. Thank you for joining me on this journey. I truly enjoy having you here.

An excerpt from Meditations to Heal Your Life by: Louise L. Hay

I love myself in this present moment exactly as I am. As I do this, I feel my stomach relax, and I feel the muscles in my neck and back adjust themselves gently. I used to resist loving and accepting myself, believing that I had to wait until I lost the weight or got the job, the lover, the money, whatever. What happened was that when I lost the weight or got the money, I still didn’t love myself, and I just made another list. Today, I drop my list of expectations! This moment is incredibly powerful. I am enjoying the feeling of just letting myself be who I am. I can just be who I am.

Be gentle with yourself my friends and have a delicious day.

Tags: affirmations, exploits of a vegan wannabe, going veg, healing through positive affirmations, Louise L. Hay, positive affirmation, vegan challenge, vegan experience, vegan wannabe