I’m a terrible blogger, but occasionally I find I still have
reasons for writing a post.
On April 23rd, while Jeff was working and my mom was out
of town, I took the kids to Fox
Hollow Family Farm. We had been there before – it’s a fun place for the
kids with a variety of things to do in a very pretty setting nestled between
Squak and Tiger Mountain in Issaquah. While the kids played in and around the
Farm Village playhouses toward the end of the afternoon I found myself sitting next to the pen where a mama cow
and her baby were. Both of them ambled over to me and I petted them. As I
looked into that mama’s eyes and let her sniff my hand it struck me what it
meant to eat meat. I had reached a turning point and I felt it. A short time
later a worker happened by and the sow mooed at him, several times. Laughing, he told her it wasn’t supper time
yet. He said she knew exactly who he
was, and what it normally meant when he came around. Food!
For a while I hadn’t been going out of my way to eat meat,
but that day I believe I moved from unconsciously avoiding it to consciously
avoiding it. On April 27th, I ate my last steak tacos from the Taco
Truck here in Maple Valley. I kept my Altoids for a few more days and had s’mores
that Sunday, but eventually I threw out the Altoids and I bought vegan
marshmallows for some upcoming camping trips. I even returned an unopened
bottle of calcium because it, too, had gelatin. After doing some soul-searching
which included research on the internet (yeah, I know how that sounds. I've become very good at being critical of everything I read online) I realized I didn’t think I could
stomach dairy anymore either. At its most basic, cow milk is meant for baby
cows. It’s what calves need to grow rapidly into +1,000 lb mammals. Perhaps there’s
a reason 75% of humans are lactose intolerant to some degree. I breastfed my
kids for a combined total of six and a half years … and partly I believe
because of that, when I watched this video it gutted me. Dairy cows are animals, and they are mothers. Just like me. In all honesty when my kids were very small my love for animals took a back seat to my very own humans, but that has gradually changed. I have enough love for all in my heart. How could I genuinely care about cats and dogs, but not for the welfare of pigs who have been proven to have higher intelligence than our pets?
On May 5th, I ate cheese with my lunch for the
last time. I’m undecided about eggs, only because if I want to I could buy them
from a friend whose chickens are very well-cared for. I’m also on the fence
about honey … because sure, bees are alive, but they are insects ... like mosquitoes, no?? I purposely
sought out a brand of sugar that doesn’t use bone char the other day though. And so this is a journey I have embarked upon.
It’s a life change. I’m so very far from perfect, and I have to try to remember
not to mentally beat myself up if I make what I perceive as a mistake. There is so much to learn, and I don't feel like I've closed a door, but rather opened one. There is a huge new world full of delicious variety to explore. Except for asparagus. That's still gross. I’m
not exactly a newbie, considering my mom has waded between vegetarian
and vegan since I was a kid. We already own this book, and my goodness are there some yummy things in there.
As if this wasn’t a big enough change, on May 9th
I registered for the Tough Mudder
Half with some friends that happens at the end of September and I’m super excited about it. I’m very much not a
runner. I never have been. But I started running in preparation for
this event, and I’m finding I like it. I did a Warrior Dash and Mud Run a few years
back and now I’m feeling super
motivated to get fit and even more healthy. A few months ago I bought a new cave suit and it was just a tad snug. I'm planning to need it come October and I'm determined that it fit me a little loosely instead!
Like so many others, I resolved myself time and again to
eat healthy, but I always fell off the wagon. Mostly at night or on the weekend
was when I was most tempted. But since
consciously deciding to forego meat it has been super easy to say no to junk food,
even to almond and peanut butter M&Ms!
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| Instagram Image from our visit to the Fox Hollow Family Farm |
