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!

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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 #3: Reactionary Life

Here we are at day number three and I'm not tempted to throw in the towel yet. I enjoy the feeling of doing something good for my health. I feel accomplished everyday that I stick to being a vegetarian.

It is a new world though to me. People look at you differently, at least when they hear you say you are a vegetarian. It seems just uttering the word brings out passionate opinions from everyone you speak to. I must admit that this quirky detail took me aback. This is a personal choice I am making, it is not a decision that I took lightly. It certainly is not an easy lifestyle choice at all. I have done this for myself and I don't expect anyone else to conform to my thinking, and yet some people act like I have raised a personal afront against their way of life.

It is amusing to me the need that arises in some to talk to me and help me see the error of my ways and come back to the light. Some have been humorous and others passionately serious. I had my first restaurant experience as a vegetarian today. I ordered a very yummy lunch and asked that they hold the shrimp, a very short time later the cook came out and asked me if I was sure. She said "You always get the shrimp when you come in ." ( I swear I have only been there a few times) I explained that I was a vegetarian now and she asked me why. Now, she was very nice and sweet and meant no harm, but what a reaction.

I get asked the age old question all the time as well; "Where will you get your protein?" I think vegetarians have been asked this for years. I am trying to be healthy and take care of my body. I am fully aware that I need protein and vitamins and iron. There is no need for a lack of these things in a vegetarian's diet and many staple foods in this are filled with protein and iron.

It is funny that no one seemed nearly as concerned with my eating habits when I was killing myself with fast food and sweets, but now that I am eating healthy people can't seem to "help" me enough. I get it though. Change is uncomfortable even to watch in someone else. There is a deep, underlying urge when we see someone who's path is different than our own, to reach out and try to pull them along side us. Maybe it is a need to feel validated and right about our path and choices in life. I really don't have the answer, but at 34 there is one thing I finally learned. Life is never black and white and I am so happy about that. There are so many colors and differences and I have no control over any of them.

There is a word made popular in Yoga and used in Napal and India; Namaste. Literally it means "I bow to you". It is a show of respect to another. It has come to have many different meanings today, but the basic idea is, "I respect you and recognize the worth in us both." What a beautiful sentiment. In the words of the great Maya Angelou, "We are more alike than we are unalike." So walk my path or have another way, but just remember that in the end we are all in this world together.

Namaste

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On the dinner plate tonight: I made a spanish rice in the slow cooker today. It had bell peppers, green onions, cilantro, chilis, tomato sauce, brown rice and cooked in beer (yes, I said beer). For the main course we had hot portobello mushroom sandwiches with spinach. I loved the sandwiches and enjoyed the rice. It was a bit rich, but good. I will admit that Mike was not a huge fan of it at all so we will not be seeing a lot of it in our future. Hey, we are learning as we go right? :)