Re-energize

I took the time to give myself a manicure and pedicure today. I had been admiring the nails of other women and missing the days I easily plucked down cash for the long acrylic ones that always made me feel feminine and beautiful. I have been staring at my unkept toes with faded, scratchy old nail polish halfway up the nail screaming at me to be freed from my toes. Now they are polished and pretty and I won't be picking the fuzz out of them (ewww) moments before yoga class. Becoming Vegan is alot like taking the time to give yourself a pedicure or manicure. It takes time, patience and committment. I would not characterize last week, my second week of my re-committment to being a vegan as a great one. I followed my no dairy or meat rules and tried to follow my looser rules of whole grains, no refined sugar or "nasty" foods. What makes my vegan committment difficult is the amount of work it takes to prepare whole, nourishing foods. After I prepare food for three other persons in my household, by default, my plate is the last one I am thinking about. By the time I have time to prepare my vegan dish or meal I am usually tired or starving without the patience to wait for a prepared dish. This leads me to the peanut butter and jelly sandwich, soycheese melted on a tortilla or bowl of cereal. Not exactly the balanced plant-based, nourishing foods I am trying to get on my plate. Its okay. This is all a work in progress. Simple, weekly goals will get me there. I have a new lists of a few veggies, beans, and grains to try this week. This has me excited. Little tasks like discovering foods to try, making new recipes and visiting vegan sites or reading my book once a day keeps me re-energized and re-focused during probably the most difficult time of this transition. I don't feel great yet. I feel hungry and have difficult cravings. Mostly for carbs likes crackers, cookies, chips and pasta. The best part of this journey for me is the mind set to not be hard on myself, to be forgiving when I go off track and to do the best I can without harsh expectations. I've never really had this frame of mind ever when it comes to my food, weight and dieting. I have been an emotional eater my entire life it feels like. I've come to feel comfortable with being hard on myself and feeling bad about food choices. I don't anymore. I am choosing a different way and it is awesome! Here's to day 17 of being gentler to myself, animals, and the planet.

"It is our choices, Harry, that show us what we truly are, far more than our abilities." - Dumbledore in Harry Potter