My Holiday Gift.

It's the most wonderful time of the year and I want to share it with you. For years, writing a blog was my inspiration, my salvation, my community, and my great joy. You guys helped me find my voice and I truly believe it's one of the reasons that I actually have a career as a writer today. {Somebody please pinch me because I still can't believe it isn't all a dream!}

I love to write, but what I love even more is to share knowledge, laughter, experiences, and girlie lady stuff with all of you and getting to hear back about your insights, tips, wisdom, trip-ups and foibles so I don't feel so alone in my madness.

I realize that once Continuity hit year 3, the "writing" was on the wall and I couldn't write about the Tracy Anderson Method any more because I didn't have much more to say that what had already been written in the four years blogging about it. I wasn't sure how everyone would take to me writing about other stuff so I stopped writing Mastering The Method and came here to write. The problem is, I haven't been so diligent at keeping up with it and my work life has been overwhelming.

Nevertheless, I have a hiatus and I want to use that time to build a new community here. Over the few years and even fewer posts that I've penned here, every once and a while, a reader pops in and says "hey, I remember you from the TAM days". Just yesterday in fact, Marion from all the way over in Germany took the time to say hello and it made my heart swell a thousand times over.

So I've come up with a plan. If you read this weekend's post, you'll have heard that it's my intention to turn to a plant based diet in January for the month of January {maybe longer, let's see how we do} and I've enlisted the help and support of Veganuary a group of greenies who have promised to send out recipes, tips and tricks to help me stay the course. I am also encouraging all of you to do this with me. Imagine it, all of us standing strong together - taking back our health, supporting our planet, squelching global warming and most of all - stopping animal cruelty! We can do it y'all. I've made us a slogan! 

Dunno why, but I just feel like 2018 needs to be called The EIGHTEEN - it's gonna be a big and very special year for all of us. It's a time of reckoning. Not only are women speaking out about violence and abuse and actually being heard, there are bigger movements afoot and we can choose to be at the fore and make history together! Who's with me?

Still need a little more convincing? Not ready to give up your bacon? Your stringy ooey gooey good cheese? Trust me, I hear you, but there are going to be so many other delicious things waiting for us and once we go through this, once we get WOKE - I promise you, you won't {and I won't} ever want those nasty foods again.

I don't plan to scare you into it. I'm not gonna tell you about all the diseases and shit. I'm not going to make you watch horribly graphic content showing animal torture, but it's out there and it's really happening. But I ain't gonna sugar coat it either and I encourage you not to turn away. Not to tighten the blinders you may have had put over your eyes since childhood. I don't want to place blame, shame or make anyone feel guilty for past choices.

But what I am going to do is share with you my thoughts, my feelings, my reviews of the documentaries that I listed in my last post, and new ways of approaching food, our habits and thoughts around food and I'll likely egg you out onto the skinny branches where it feels cold and scary, but I'll be right beside you, holding your hand the entire way.

Essentially Ima do a TWELVE DAYS of CHRISTMAS thing to get us in the mood to go green baby.

Now, the twelve days of Christmas also known as TWELVETIDE {which is the coolest name ever! It should be a rock band} is the festive Christmas season -- according to wiki -- wherein people celebrate the nativity of Jesus, with Christmas Day as the first day. It runs through to January 5th. I won't go into any more detail about the real 12 days of Christmas here - you can google it and find out more deets if you're curious.

Nah, for our intents and purposes, I'm gonna start the 12 Days of Christmas on December 13th. My Grandmother's birthday. The thirteenth will be our DAY 1 and will run consecutively up until Christmas Eve - with December 24 acting as our 12th DAY. 

Each day will have some kind of theme that will help each of us prepare for Going Green in The EIGHTEEN. I have some ideas to educate us, motivate us, and move us into making what for many of us will be radical choices, but this is FOR US - so I'm open to hearing your thoughts, tips, suggestions, and I'll even take requests. Is there something around this subject that you'd like to discuss? Hit me up in the comments section and lets talk about it.

And I'd also really love to hear your reasons for taking part {I sincerely hope you'll take part or that if you're on the fence, I can convince you to be brave enough to join me}.

As always,
Shan