Going vegan is an adventure, not a sacrifice

Romanesco broccoli Yum! (public domain photo)

When people think of going vegan, they often focus on what they have to give up. Maybe that's the reason so many don't stay vegan. They never really connect with the fact that they have opened up a whole new world of food and lifestyle exploration. They never connect with what going vegan does for their spiritual well being.

Being vegan is great for self esteem and just plain feeling good.

I wake up every morning knowing that no one dies or suffers to fill my plate or produce the goods that I buy. What could be better? Rather than being at the top of the so-called food chain that we humans invented, I live in harmony with every single other creature on the planet. Like other animals, I do my best to do no harm because since going vegan, I've also reinforced my other goal of having less of a negative impact on the planet and more of a positive one.

I embrace being an animal.

Human society has pretty much turned us into something we're not. I'm glad to have a roof over my head and yes, I'm glad society has brought us medical care and other creature comforts. What I'm not glad of is that we have gotten to a point where we are so distanced from nature that we are downright miserable. That's not how it's supposed to be. Going vegan has brought me a deeper understanding of how humans really do fit into the planetary network. I'm OK with being the human animal that I was intended to be. I'm OK with living just far enough outside of society that I'm able to reconnect with nature. In fact, I'm not just OK with it, I revel in it.

Being vegan is like being a food explorer.

Every meal is an adventure in new tastes and textures. Since going vegan I've tried so many new fruits and veggies that I can't possibly list them. Conventional foodies have no idea what they're missing. Without all the grease, gore, pain and suffering, the vegan plate is alive with flavor. Vegetables and fruits are just bursting with yum! Smothering out the taste with greasy meat and cheese seems like a crime. 

Every day is a new adventure.

Being vegan is never boring. It's a constant learning experience. My mental capacities are always being expanded. My thirst for knowledge is continually satisfied. My thoughts are constantly being challenged and changed. If I lived to be 100, I would still be learning. I look forward to every single day again, just like I did when I was a school kid. That's why I'm always sharing what I learn with others. I want them to wake up every day with the same zest for life that I have.

Give me veggies or give me death. Ha! That's true in many ways, Isn't it?

Perhaps that's my next post. Anyway, if you're going vegan or even if you've been vegan for a long time, try switching your focus to what you have become, rather than what you once were.

Going vegan isn't about what you give up. It's about what you gain!