Dude, Vegan

I am well aware that it has been more than two weeks since my last blog confession. Normally this would be where I start into a litany of excuses as to why that is. Well, there are no excuses anymore for me. I simply did not update because there was no change and I was a little upset and embarrassed that no change occurred. My eating during the two weeks was not really monitored, however when I set forward on this new journey I had already decided that I was not going to be very strict on my eating. As long as it is 100% plant based I am happy. Happily I am still 100% Plant Strong. The place that I have needed to work on has been my processed food intake. Just because it's vegan does not make it healthy.

Yes they are vegan and YES they are not healthy!!

There is just as much junk food out there for vegans as there are for anyone else. It's all bad! Now, I am not going to punish myself, I am just going to push forward from this point with a promise to myself to severely limit processed food and sugars. I had a great day today, though my lovely girlfriend said I consumed way too many nuts. That is something I will continue to work on hon. :-) My new plan moving forward is to take a much more Taoistic approach to eating, as well as other aspects of daily life. I am going to eat as whole and fresh as I can, and take my time to enjoy every detail and morsel of the food I eat. Here is an experiment that my great friend Thom taught me. It's an exercise for your mind and senses.

I'm going to use a strawberry for this example, but most any food will do. Take the strawberry in your hand and instead of taking a bite, I want you to study it. Look at it very closely, notice all the minute details that make up the texture of the skin. Notice the way the light hits it and is partially visible through the translucent edges of the skin. Feel the bumps, the tiny fibers on your finger tip as you softly examine the fruit. Bring it up to your nose. Take in the full aroma of this delicious berry. Once you have used those three senses, take a bite. Now really focus on the flavor that washes over your lips and onto your tongue. Do you notice the slight bitterness of the skin and fibers that precede the sweet juices of the strawberry? Slowly chew the first bite and hold it in your mouth as long as possible before taking another bite. Focus. Now look at the freshly bitten berry and use all your senses again for the second bite and the third, fourth, fifth...until it is all gone. It should take a minimum of five minutes to eat the strawberry. You can take longer, but not shorter. This experiment helps on many levels. It helps you to gain a better focus of the world around you. It will help those that eat too quickly, slow down and enjoy their food. Doing this experiment regularly will help to make your senses stronger, much in the same way lifting weights build muscle. Try this tomorrow sometime. I will be.


I've had some pretty major stresses over the last few weeks and I think that they have contributed to the current plateau I have been experiencing. It all seemed to hit me from every angle too. There was the usual money issues...bills..bills..bills..ugh. Nothing more need be said on that subject. Then other stresses, work, some from family and others from friends and acquaintances. And physical stresses with my back. I injured my back pretty bad, late last year. It's taken months to get myself back to a place where I feel comfortable again. I was running every day before the injury, now I can barely walk for 15 mins before my leg goes numb. It has severely limited my exercising, but I have been working hard to correct myself and hopefully one day run again. I did have a bit of a breakthrough this week on the exercise front though, a sign of great things to come I hope! :-)  The other stresses, I am working on them. I am learning that life is too short to dwell on negative things or negative people. I got caught up in some drama online with some friends and that spilled out into the real world...it has since been resolved though. Which is another great thing. :-) The money thing, I am working on that too..

This journey I am on, it's not for anyone's benefit except my own and those that want to be around me and accept me for the person that I am becoming. I am always learning new things about life and will always be happy to share those things I learn with those I care about. This lifestyle I am living, for some reason upsets people. I am trying to live a life that's based on compassion for all things. Hate, fear, anger...these emotions are not welcome in my life anymore. I do not hate anyone, nor will I ever. I might get angry every once in a while, but I will never hold onto that anger...It's just going to be passing through. I realized that the place I was in when I started this journey was a lot more peaceful and focused. Some where along the way I got lost. I'm slowly finding my way back though. One person that has been a guiding light for me is my girlfriend, Stephanie. You are always right there as soon as I begin to stray to help get me back on track. Without you in my life, I have no idea where I would be right now. I am glad that I am on this journey with you by my side. :-)



So there it is, no excuses..no punishment...it is what it is. I am going to continue to work on things as best I can and I will be coming back to share what I have learned along the way. The weight will come off and the stresses will fade as will the back pain....this too shall pass.

Namaste