Day #30: And Beyond.......

I started this quest 30 days ago. I did it because I wanted to be healthy, I wanted to live longer, I wanted to spend many more years with my partner and my family. I have had numerous health issues through the years and it was time to take drastic steps. I set my goal at 26 days because I was going home for my Mom's 60th Birthday and I didn't want to complicate time while I was there. Well thirty days later I will tell you how the trip went and the decisions I have come to at the end of this journey of mine.

I'll tell you that I talked to Mike as we flew all the way to Washington state from Oklahoma (we had plenty of time, that is for sure!). It just kept going through my head; "If I have felt better than I have in years and even look better why would I just decide to go back to the way I felt before?" So I decided, with the full support of the one I love, that I was going to continue my vegetarian quest through the vacation and see how it went.

Now let me tell you, it is not easy to stick to being a vegetarian when you are on a vacation. First of all, you are in places that you do not know. It is not like at home where I know the town, I have sought out the restaurants and fast food joints that I can go to. We were in airports and on the road and everything was a struggle. I learned very quickly how to be assertive and ask for vegetarian options or ask for a dish without the meat. I was met many a time with the looks that I have grown accustomed to. I now know how to scan a menu in a restaurant or even a grocery store deli and find the items that fit my needs in a matter of minutes. These really are suvival skills for a vegetarian at any level.

So I learned how to survive on the road and made it safely to my family. My family loves me, always have, always will. This, however, does not mean that they always "get" me. I mean, I have done things a certain way, eaten certain things for 34 years of my life and now in the matter of a month I have changed all of my rules. That takes a person a minute to acclimate to. So they were not prepared for the vegetarian thing. I remember when I started, I couldn't imagine what I would eat other than salad because I had never thought about food in this way. Mike and I made sure we went to the grocery store so I would have options, we went to pick up lunch oneday and made sure to order stuff I could eat as well. It is not that my family had anything against my new lifestyle, they just have never had to deal with it before.

So I survied, I made it, I spent an amazing time with my entire family, ate good food and laughed a lot. It just went to reinforce the whole reason I have done this in the first place. Take away your job, your bills, your stress, take away everything until you are left with that tiny, simple grain of love at the center of it all and you will see what it is all about. All that resides there are you and the ones you love and in the end that is all that matters. I want to spend as much time enjoying life and the ones I care about. As I used to say as a young man just beginning my journey of life, before the shine was tarnished and the wounds had made their mark; "Everything boils down to one truth......It's All About Love."

So I am proud to say that this journey is not over for me. I feel rejuvenated and alive. I am not ready to throw that all away. I am loved and I love and I want that to last as long as possible. So here we go, a vegetarian is born. Why? Because for me it works and it makes sense. For me it has changed my life in a good way. It has given me a chance to celebrate that much longer and that is reason enough for me!

******************************************************************************************

NOTE: I don't plan on leaving the blog. I still feel I have a lot to learn as I stay on this vegetarian course. I would love to keep sharing my discoveries and thoughts with those who want to listen and I may even deliver on those recipes I promised. The format may change a bit but it will still be fun and informative and hopefully entertaining. So keep checking in!!

Day #7: Dinner Party

I'll be honest and admit that one of my fears of becoming a vegetarian was that it would separate me from my friends. I mean, it is a huge life change and that naturally impacts your life. As I have written in a previous blog, people have proven to have passionate reactions to this new behavior of mine. So I thought I would put it all to the test.

Now I love getting together with a group of friends and laughing and having great conversation. I enjoy having them in my home and entertaining. Mike and I had already planned to have some friends over for a game night long before I started this quest, so what better time to see if I could mesh my new veggie world with the ones I enjoy so much.

The dilemma for me was figuring out how I could make everyone comfortable, letting the meat eaters have their meat and the vegetarians (two of us) have none. I didn't want it to feel segregated, I wanted good food that everyone could enjoy. Mike and I brainstormed and the end result, I think, was very successful.

We wanted appetizers and a main dish. We made homemade bruschetta and Crab Rangoon for appetizers, obviously the bruschetta was for me. For the main dish we decided it would be fun to have everyone make their own pizza. Mike and I made the dough for the crust beforehand and the sauce as well. We set out toppings like cheese, spinach, mushrooms, olives, pepperoni and let everyone make whatever kind of pizza they wanted. This way the veggie people could pile it on and the non-vegetarians had their choice of meat as well. They were delicious and a big hit with everyone :) No one felt segregated or out of place and it was awesome!

It was also so awesome that our guests brought appetizers of their own to share that were vegetarian and yummy. It meant a lot to me to know that they cared about my new quest and supported me as well. We had some tasty bean salsa and a dish of goat cheese and spinach with sun-dried tomatoes too. In the end I had nothing to worry about. We spent a wonderful evening with our friends, filled with laughter, good food and did I mention the amazing Martinis!

So it is possible to throw a dinner party even as a vegetarian and I proved it to myself! :) So to Carrol, Larry, Hillary, Lucas and Katy, Mike and I thank you for a wonderful evening and great friendship!! We can't wait to do it all again!