Even though I have taken the pledge to go vegan in January or - Veganuary - I've started early. As this will be my very first vegan Christmas I want it to be extra special so I've done a bit of browsing on the old world-wide-web and I found this dandy of a recipe that I want to try. Yessirree Ima make a tofu turkey. If it's an epic fail, you'll never know because I'll take it to my grave. If it's a delicious success however, you won't be able to get me to shut up about it and I'll likely even post photos. Watch this space.
In the mean time, great news! I took the pledge for Veganuary on December 9th and it was pretty much the next day that I stopped dairy, eggs and fish. {I was already meat free and have been for over 25 years, yikes it might even be closer to 27 or 28. Let's just say over 25 and leave it there, but I digress}
The news I wanted to share is that with that one simple move - I dropped 2.5 pounds. That's 1kg. Bonus ladies, you can go vegan for vanity! Lol. I think I was carrying the fear, pain and suffering of millions of cows (milk & cheese), chickens (dead baby boy chicks because of my eggs) and fish (because I was murdering them, duh).
Dear animals, I am so sorry I didn't go vegan sooner. {I saw that on IG today as well as learning that in the UK alone 40 000 000 male chicks are slaughtered every year so people can eat eggs. That's 40 MILLION dear reader and that's just the UK! And just in ONE YEAR! I'd hate to think what the numbers are worldwide. They estimate it to be about 6 BILLION! Please stop eating eggs}
So this leads me to the our topic for The Forth Day of Christmas.
ONE PERSON MATTERS!
One person. You, yes you. You matter because you can effect change. You can lead by example. You can show everyone how happy, healthy and beautiful you are by how you move and what you consume. Conversely the reverse it true. If you never exercise, eat Burger King and ding dongs all day long - you too will be an example, albeit more of a bad one.
So you think, why should I give up milk? How on earth will I ever drink my tea without it? Me not drinking milk isn't going to stop the dairy industry.
Okay fair point, about the industry not about your tea. Try coconut cream for goodness sake. You choosing to no longer purchase milk, cheese, eggs, meat and fish will not bring these industries to a grinding halt with one quick trip to the market, but imagine this. Imagine if you stopped and your mom stopped and your kids stopped and your neighbors, coworkers, cousins, your followers on IG, Twitter, Facebook, every Hollywood celebrity, every banker, lawyer, doctor, checkout clerk, bartender, massage therapist, veterinarian, truck driver, garbage guy, mail carrier, dry cleaner and chef... you get the idea. If each and every single person on the planet stopped buying these products, that would put a stop to these industries. Then they'd have to start growing lentils and peanuts instead of piglets, they'd have to raise chickpeas not chickens, fish for seaweed instead of seafood. We could change the world, one person at a time.
So why don't we take a moment to see some of these "one persons" who are making radical shifts as we speak. My first stop... Derek Sarno over at Wicked Smart.
He and his brother - {see, if you go green your sibling might too, then your parents and so on and so on} - are vegan chefs and I applaud what they are doing. They make wicked awesome plant-based food. It's simple, it's healthy and it's delicious. He's proving that one person can make a difference by not serving sad dead animals to their customers.
One of the things I showed you earlier in our previous days of Christmas posts, was a wonderful reunion between a rescued dairy cow and her baby, after having had countless babies stolen from her immediately after giving birth, she finally got to keep one. But somebody had to make that happen. Or a few somebodies - So lets talk about Ellie Laks Weiner and Jay Weiner over at The Gentle Barn.
That's Dudley! I am so in love with these folks. Please take a moment to pop over to their website, watch their videos and get involved.
As I started watching these documentaries about going vegan and I had my eyes opened to the truth behind the animal agricultural industry, I found it hard just being in the world. Truly.
It sounds so dramatic but I am a ridiculously sensitive person. I found myself crying as I was thinking of the suffering that was happening all around me with every breath I took. I literally broke down crying on the sidewalk mid-week. I woke up in the middle of the night, just horrified by all I'd seen and learned in such a short about of time, in fact I'm crying as I write this to you. It's so wrong and so sad and can feel overwhelming and altogether hopeless. I felt I had to do something, I mean more than going vegan. I wanted to quit my job and move to the country, buy a farm and create a sanctuary.
Well, that's not my dharma, that isn't what I was put on this earth to do. My gifts and talents lie elsewhere, and besides I wouldn't know the first thing about rescuing a chicken or pig or cow or how to house them or what to feed them, but there are people who do know and who are doing it. So I spent an entire day looking them up, watching their heroic rescues and happy endings and their endless fights for good. And something miraculous happened. I began to feel a bit better. Don't get me wrong I still want to go and
So let me get to my point! There are these fantastic people who go into these houses of horror and save these innocent creatures and give them refuge, food, shelter, and most of all loving kindness! So I started donating dammit. I mean what else is a girl to do?
And I think for the new year I'm even going to sponsor an animal! Did you know you can do that? It's the coolest thing ever. You can give a monthly donation {it's a year commitment} and your money goes toward the care of the animal you chose and you get photos and updates and you can even go and visit! It's so fabulous. You can adopt anything. A rooster, a pig, cow, horse, even a donkey. Brilliant. Haven't you always wanted a donkey? I know I have.
And the great news is, it's not just The Gentle Barn who does this, these guys are now safely in a sanctuary in Ireland!
There are farm sanctuaries all over the world! So you can sponsor an animal near you and go and spend time with it. That's right noble reader - I found a link for you to find a farm near you. And if you don't have the cash to do a monthly sponsorship, that's okay. You can make a one time donation - every little bit helps. Or maybe you want to go and volunteer. I bet you can do that too.
Here's the link - it's the Farm Animal Sanctuary Directory. Love it!
This week has been such a roller coaster of emotion. From the depths of the most powerful rage, to soul crushing sadness, to mad determination, to delight and joy and empowerment. One person really can make a difference.
I am choosing to not support these terrible industries, no longer contribute to animal suffering and cruelty and murder. I will use my little bit of extra savings to support the people who are rescuing these animals from appalling conditions, and further to that, I am going to use the power of my voice and my writing to tell as many people as possible what is going on and give them {you} the support, encouragement and tools to do that same.
One person can make a difference. Two people together can start a movement. A huge community can create a revolution and totally change the world! Happy Saturday beauties.
xo
Shan
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