I like to think that the pull that wakes the slumbering seed from it's dream into a living flower is a memory of something it can't quite name, something warm and infinitely giving, life sustaining, an embrace, a dance, a memory of a time once before but now forgotten, a memory, yes a memory of light. Of sunshine. There was a time once when I gazed up at the face of heaven. I stood. I was something to behold. And lo does the ache to grow begin, in this memory of the flower that that seed once was part of. Up it aches through dirt and it's own heavy shell, blind to the outcome of it's destination but faithful to it's pull.
The face of our new Spring outside your window will show you the result of that seeds faith.
We aren't so different really. I think we can all put a finger on our own pull to transform, to change. Can't find it in yourself? Often it is our own unhappiness, in one way or another, that writhes around until we get the picture that something in our life just isn't working for us anymore and it's time to grow. But, sadly, unlike the seed we are bitterly gifted with the ability to choose. We can question, we can feel our feelings, think our thoughts and know we think our thoughts, we govern, decide, create and all too often fear. We fear. We fear change and what it might bring, what it might ask of us. Fear is a deceitful friend that we keep near enough to scare that urge to change away.
Yet all the while that transformative light is calling to us from somewhere deep within and wholly without to reach it, to touch it, to know it first hand. Come wake and look at the springtime. And the most heartbreaking thing is that we want it, oh so tenderly do we want it. We want to grow, we cannot help but want to grow because that is our very nature, it is the pulse to which our every cell is set. But we shrivel, we hide, we harbor lost dreams and unreached horizons and the burden of what could be but never was is so heavy that we are crushed under it's weight.
I am ready to change. I am so ready to change. I am sick of hurting myself and appalled by the ugliness of the hurt I inflict on others. I want to live. I want to be new. I want to grow and be something beautiful, something settling and bright and a place that Love can lay claim to. I'm ready to grow. I want to be transformed oh plunge me into the scalding water and burn away all my sickness and my hate and give me new eyes. This, I believe, is that pull into the light of whatever you want to call it. There is a memory here. Somewhere in the timelessness of my soul I am being reminded of who I am yet to become. Bring on the humbling look at myself, bring on the pain, bring on the uncertainty and the grasping for a hand in the dark because so often that is exactly what change engenders. I'm ready. Maybe you are too?
Change comes in all shapes levels sounds and flavors. There are a few people in my world who felt the nudge to change in a specific way and bravely followed that feeling. My husband, mother and close friend were recently each inspired to take a leap into a vegan diet. I wanted to share with you some of their experience and how it transformed them.
Inspired as she is, Katherine recently went on a cleanse with her husband and before the end of it they both gave up cigarettes, alcohol, refined sugar and both went completely vegan. They've decided to commit to a vegan diet permanently now.
Why vegan?For Katherine, the main catalyst into vegan-hood was her growing awareness about what the meat and dairy industry are doing to the environment.
It was her compassion for the planet that made her question and her great love for animals that brought it to another level. She told me how she would never, NEVER hurt an animal and would really look down on anyone who did and it was shocking and humbling for her to realize that for so many years she had been "vicariously hurting them" by eating meat and dairy.
90,000 US cows and calves are slaughtered everyday
14,000 US chickens are killed every minute
In 2000 a videotape was leaked out of workers at an Iowa Beef Processors plant in Washington that showed cows being skinned alive, kicking for freedom as their legs were cut off. Another video from 2000 showed pigs at a hog factory being kicked, stomped on and killed by blows to the head with cinder blocks. Pigs who did not measure up to industry standards for sale were picked up by the hind legs and bashed against the floor, a practice called "thumping".
It was this kind of unsettling reality that opened Katherine's heart and eyes and inspired her to change. Now she's helping those animals with every bite she takes and every grocery buck she spends.
What was the most noticeable change she's experienced so far? Greater awareness. Not just about the food that she is eating and how it affects all things, but about the very life that she is living moment to moment. She said that there is something to eating clean, healthy, pure foods that affects not just your body but how you perceive and experience life. There is a clarity, an awakeness in her world that was before muffled and fogged over.
She's a farmers market perusing vegan cooking queen! She and her amazing husband Lukas just bought a dehydrator to keep up with the addition of plenty of raw foods in their diet. And, she's been so inspired that she's started her own blog, http://rawlenapasadena.blogspot.com/. Check it out and keep up with her as she is in the midst of major transformation.
My Mom! She's the greatest. She recently went vegan after having been a vegetarian for 6 years and "Mother's Market and Kitchen" is her go to place for lunch and grocery. They are a chain of Whole Foods ish grocery stores in Orange County. She says her favorite treat is the Vegan Pasole they serve in the hot food bar.
So why the jump to a vegan diet after having been a vegetarian for a steady 6 years? In her own words, "My compassion for animals made me decide to be a vegetarian, and I've been one going on six years. But I felt like, if I truly cared about cruelty done to animals, I would give up eggs and diary as well. So I did, four months ago."
And in that four months she has lost 11 lbs! She hasn't changed her exercise routine so that weight was shed from a simple shift in her diet. And she's not on a carrot and lettuce diet. Some of her favorite treats are Uncle Eddies Vegan Cookies (OMG SO GOOD) and Earth Balance Buttery Spread drizzled on home popped popcorn.
"I put it on almost everything!" she saysTo top that her cholesterol has gone down and her cravings for junk food are obsolete! She says that she's also saving money because she's cooking more now instead of eating out all the time. She's in her 40's and found a new reason to be enthusiastic about living and getting to know her body all over again. This seemingly minor change has also helped her to face change fearlessly in all aspects of her life. From relationship changes to moving to a new haircut the woman is transforming!
It's not always the easiest thing though, she's having to deal with the uncomfortable feelings that often come with a great change. In a community where she might be the only vegan she has to deal with people thinking "she's a kook" for not eating meat or dairy. But, she's in it for the long haul. "Meat is gross!" she says-and this coming from a woman who used to eat steak with me!
And then there was Jim. This was a slice of vegan wedding cake that my husband sweetly shared with me at our wedding while I am sure he was eyeing the not-so-vegan-cobbler in the corner. Little did he know then that in not long at all he'd be CHOOSING of his own free will to try this vegan thing out for himself.
He decided to go a full 40 days on a healthy vegan/vegetarian diet. Why? It was a combination of things. Easter was coming and he wanted to make some sort of sacrifice to honor the day and as he was driving up north to San Jose to visit our dear friends he drove past a stretch of feed lots for cattle that were being raised for slaughter and consumption.
This was a major shock to him having grown up around cattle that his family raised in a very different setting. So, he decided "to see if there was legitimacy to eating this way being livable and good for me"
This wasn't an easy transition. I think I've mentioned before that he ate his first salad EVER only a few years ago. He also has a straight out phobia of lettuce. But, his will to change was stronger than his want for comfort. He traded in donuts, pizza, soda and steak for oatmeal, greens, rice and beans. (and plenty of vegan cookies to boot).
What did he experience? Well! First he went through a detox. He was tired, his skin broke out, he was light headed and uncomfortable for a little while. Then...the most amazing eye opening thing happened! (I'm trying to control my glee). Well, every now and again he would have some cheese and whenever he did he would feel a little crummy the next day, but he didn't match the two together. But one day, after being off of dairy almost completely for a few weeks, he went a little dairy mad. I think I recall a quesadilla, cheesy egg sandwich, cheesy rice and beans, creamy gelato and a latte of some sort. The morning after the dairy queen binge he was completely sick. He couldn't breath during the night, his throat had closed up, he was full of mucus and felt terribly ill. But, he wasn't sick, his body was just experiencing the true colors of that little thing called dairy. So why so full of glee at my poor husbands trauma?? He got to experience first hand the true effects of dairy on his body and life and now gets to make an informed decision on whether or not he wants to ingest the stuff knowing now what it really does.
Couldn't have said it better myself dear.
How has this transformed him?He lost about 9 lbs and gained a great awareness. He discovered that "I was addicted to thinking of food in terms of another pleasure, because it has the power to be sensual and I hadn't given over to the idea that food is nourishment for the body. I don't feel addicted to that mentality anymore." He also is free of his addiction to cheese and junk food now, "it sounds good, but it's not on my mind. There is no food that I'm craving anymore." Except maybe some sauteed kale and soup. He, full of awe, confessed to me over the phone last night while in Texas visiting his family that he was craving some home cooked veggies. If you could see me smile.
His body and mind are releasing all the stored up gunk that was once comfortable but now only causes sickness. He's still finding his way. Sometimes he feels stuck, not sure what to eat with no options that he's too crazy about. It's been hard for him to find balance in the foods he eats and he's having to try new scary green things all the time now. But he's doing it! He was brave and strong, convicted and curious and willing to change. Maybe he will live a longer life now, a fuller healthy life. One that he can enjoy to it's greatest degree.
Soup. It's a great idea for someone not too versed in the ways of an animal free diet. You can get a few servings of vegetables, plenty of protein from all kinds of beans and your whole grains all in one bowl. This is Jimmy's favorite vegan meal so far. I like to call it (though he may not agree):
1 carton No-Chicken broth
1 cup cooked kidney beans
1/2 cup uncooked lentils
1 onion diced
4 garlic bulbs minced
1 carrot diced
1 medium zucchini diced
Few basil leaves chopped
1/2 package crimini mushrooms diced
2 heaping handfuls of spinach
1 cup cabbage diced
Braggs Liquid Aminos
1/2 tbsp onion powder
1/2 tbsp garlic powder
1 tbsp Sawflower oil
This broth is DELICIOUS and adds a great burst of flavor. For anyone making the transition from meat who is yearning for a chicken taste I recommend this. Perfect for "chicken" soup or as a base in sauteing or even to cook your rice in.
Heat oil, onion and garlic in deep saucepan 2-3 min med heat
Add basil, cook another 2 min
Add all vegetables, lentils and broth over med-high heat
Add garlic and onion powder, few swirls of Braggs, cover and let simmer for 30-40 minutes or until veggies and lentils are thoroughly cooked.
Add kidney beans, cook for 3-5 more minutes
Taste and serve! I made Jimmy some garlic Naan with his. Drizzled it with olive oil and dash of garlic and onion powder and heated it up in the oven. Chomp!
If you're interested in giving your body a break from dairy for a while to see what might happen let me just say, YOU WILL BE AMAZED. Not only will you probably lose weight, you will most likely go through a cool detox, have clearer skin, feel less full of mucus, have better bowel movements and you might just break an intense harmful addiction that you never even knew you had. If you're up for the great transformation try these cheesy alternatives:
Daiya is a totally plant based cheese substitute that I adore. It's dairy free, wheat free, soy free, low fat and oh so delicious. I had a Vegan Christmas dinner party and made a big batch of vegan Mac'n'Cheese with it and people loved it. So far I've only been able to find it at Whole Foods. You'll actually find it in the cheese section, it's just that cheesy ;)
A recent cheese like discovery I made is Nutritional Yeast
There are tons of ways to ease into a change in your diet that at first can seem drastic and limiting.
The truth is that yes, when we make any change in our lives things are often uncomfortable at first but if we can wade our way through that first little bit the boundaries of our world-and of our self-expand majestically. We embrace the changless part of ourselves when we step fearlessly towards change. We grow, transform, transcend and bloom. New season, new diet, new recipes, new love, new reasons, new body, new routes, new ideas, new people, new flavors, new health, beautiful new life. For whatever transformation you are coming out of, going into or looking forward to I honor you whole heartedly for your courage and I kiss you like the wind.
