guess what I did?

I did something that I've

been struggling to do for a very long time.

I struggled out of laziness,

peer pressure,

weakness...

and that it ultimately didn't matter what I did.

I was wrong.

That was a lie I told myself to make it 

EASIER

for myself.

I lied because if I told myself the truth,

I'd be dealt a big blow to 

what I believed in and how I had been behaving.

So,

are you wondering what it was that I did?

I decided to be vegan.

You may not hear the horns blowing in the background,

see the fireworks

or hear the cheers and applause,

but I do.

For my entire life I have believed myself to be an

incredibly

compassionate person.

I poured myself into every relationship and interaction 

with 

EVERY

living being.

I would touch the tree and say a prayer for it

when I saw that it had sap pouring from it's bark,

showing itself to be ill.

I picked up the bee that was lying on the ground,

lifeless,

in hopes that I could mend it back to life

and instead got stung... I was young guys, c'mon.

I listened for hours to whoever wanted to pour their troubles

and life's woes out,

feeling what they felt and doing everything I could to make things better for them.

I would even sometimes carry those woes for them..

but that is an entirely different blog post that has nothing to do with 

COMPASSION and everything to do with codependence!

I love this earth,

it's people,

it's life.

And, I have decided 

(oh hey, yeah, I've decided this...)

that I am a fighter for those things. 

That sounds so insanely cheesy written down,

doesn't it?

But it's the truth. 

I'm the cheeseball ova heeeya.

So,

why does this matter in me changing my habits to become vegan?

I have known for sometime that I am no more important to this world

than anything or anyone else is.

I have the understanding that everything is equal,

and I have been believing this to be true,

and yet all the while,

I have been eating carelessly and mindlessly animal products 

with this twinge of guilt that I shouldn't.

I do not condone the exploitation of ANYONE.

Whatever race, gender, sexuality, nationality, or cultural component 

that you ascribe yourself to,

that is for you to decide,

for no one to judge,

and for no one to exploit.

(remember when I said I was the fighter of the planet's people?

mmhmm.

Watch out for Captain Cheeseball.

Comin' atcha!)

So then...

Why would I leave out animals?

And our planet, for that matter?

I just got to the point where it no longer made sense to me

to just eat whatever meat product was in front of me

because of convenience or 

craving.

I am connected to this planet,

and I am connected to you,

and I am connected to your dog

(as you are, as well).

And we are solely responsible for our actions.

Only we are.

So.

I'm now vegan.

And it's not so bad.

I could say I miss cheese or pepperoni or frozen yogurt.

But, I don't really miss those things.

And I don't feel bad for losing them.

Because it's not about loss in the sense of regret 

or grieving.

It's a weight that has been lifted.

I have come one step closer to living a life where I 

can be assured that my living has 

NOT

negatively impacted someone or something else.

I made this choice.

And I'm excited to learn more about it

and possibly inspire someone

or many.

Or possibly no one.

This was for me.

And for the planet.

And you could maaaaaaaaybe say then that this would impact you..

 ipso facto

THIS WAS FOR YOU.

Just kidding.

Now, here's a goat jumping on a bed :)

Love,

liz xo