Focus

Hello veganauts!  I had a very relaxing vacation from the ole’ blog but I am excited to be back at the keyboard.  Like most of my vacations, I spent a lot of time thinking about what I was taking a break from.

What was I doing at EPCOT?  Thinking about the perfect vegan entree for Micky Mouse to add to the different restaurants at each country in the World Showcase.  What was I doing while hiking?  Thinking about how much easier it is to be vegan instead of omni when being outdoorsy.  What was I doing at the poker table?  Thinking about how vegans stack the odds in their favor with a healthy lifestyle.  And winning.  Always winning.

When I first started writing this blog back in 2011 I was documenting my transformation as I joined the strange and confusing cult of veganism.  I was prepared for almost any bizarre thing that was thrown at me.  However, what I never anticipated was how quickly the new lifestyle would seem normal and the old lifestyle would seem foreign.  The jaw dropping changes and horrific sacrifices that I feared have become so commonplace that I can’t remember what I was afraid of before.  Except for Brussels sprouts… I’m still terrified of those.

One of the blog related topics that rattled around in my head during my break was focus.  It came to me while I was mowing the lawn.  [Side note: Eat your heart out snow covered veganauts- I was even mowing in shorts!]

My new focus: I want to help the veggie-curious.  I don’t want to talk people into anything- I’ll leave that up to the massive vegan propaganda machine that is already in place.  What I’m more interested in is being a guide for the people that have decided it is time to kick the meat, dairy, and eggs.  I am an expert veganaut now and I’d like to use my skills to help guide people through the rocky patches and around the quicksand.  I’m like a Saint Bernard with a cask of quinoa around my neck.

My desire to help others find the Vegan Golden Fleece isn’t new but my desire to focus on helping them is.

We are at the time of year when recently overcrowded gyms are beginning to empty out, nicotine patch sales are plummeting, and forgotten gratitude journals are collecting their first of many layers of dust. Since a lot of people made plant-based resolutions for the new year, I thought it might be a good time to reach out and offer some advice and encouragement before it’s too late.

Advice: It’s never too late. If you tried to adopt a plant-based diet or a vegan lifestyle you do not need to give up just because you ate a cheese pizza. You are not a failure.  You will not be shunned.  We don’t revoke your card.

Many vegan explorers feel that a mistake equals failure.  It is not failure.  However, using that mistake as an excuse to stop trying is failure.  If you are sincere in your desire to stop eating meat and animal products then nothing should stop your march forward.  If a fish dinner gets in your way, don’t beat yourself up over it.  Put it behind you and carry on.  If you eat a ham-n-cheese omelet, don’t follow that up with years of cheeseburgers to punish yourself for a mistake.  You follow it up with years healing plant-based foods to reward yourself for trying.

You have the power to forgive yourself and to shield yourself from excuses.  It isn’t easy being an herbivore at first but after a while you start to wonder what all the fuss was about in the first place.  Just stay calm… and veganaut on.