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How to accept your flaws and predispositions

So I’ve taken up a new job. And I’m stocking shelves. I’m waist-high in boxes all day. Cutting them open, taking things out, breaking them down, filling them, hauling them. And after too many boxes, too many to count, I catch on a thought that just won’t go away. Boxes all have a lean. 

   What I mean by that is once you take the box apart, it will lay flat easier in one folding direction than another. Every box has its lean. And as humans, we’re really no different. We all have a sort of set point. A standard that we continually go back to, a comfort zone that we consider normal. 

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Lessons from my mom

   You know, not everybody gets a mom like I did, so present and involved. And some people lose their mom very early in life. But I’ve spent decades with mine, and we’ve been through some pretty crazy circumstances together in my family. Through it all, my mom has really been there. (At times she was even there more than I hoped she would be.) Because of this, she has taught me a lot in a lot of different ways. Now, I’d like to share those things with you, in hopes that they will help you.

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Finding Balance: mastering the art of yes and no

   I’ve been considering the idea of balance quite a bit lately. Both in regard to my own life, and also as a broad concept. I think it’s interesting, because most people I’ve talked to resonate with this idea of balance very strongly. We think that if only we could get everything in balance, our lives would be fun, satisfying, and harmonious. In a word, perfect. Finally. And if so many of us have this idea, then maybe there is something to it. So why do we seem to struggle so much?

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Saying hello: how we navigate new beginnings

Today, we’re stepping into a new threshold.

   I recently wrote about goodbyes on this blog, and now I want to come full circle into new beginnings. It is my belief that these things go hand in hand, and thank goodness they do. It’s part of what gives life its continuity, and what bring us hope in the hard times. 

   That being said, new beginnings aren’t without their own set of challenges. So I want to speak to that a little bit. And for anyone who is amidst a new beginning or considering one, I’d like to give you some food for thought. 

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My vegan journey, part 3: advice for new vegans

How can you do right by this adorable creature?

   Welcome to part 3 of my series on veganism. In part one, I addressed what my food attitudes were like before veganism. And part two talked about the initial change of finding out about veganism and my decision to devote myself to it. Now we begin the third installment of my vegan series. I’m going to tell you the things that I feel all new vegans particularly should know. Well, at the very least, the things that I feel like I should have been told when I first went vegan. I’m also going to wrap up my “beginning of veganism” story. 

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My vegan journey, part 2: starting veganism

    This is part two of the story of my vegan journey. If you didn’t read part one, I highly suggest you do, as it sets the scene for what is to come here. You can read part one by clicking here. 

  Now, when we last left off, I was someone who wanted to be vegetarian, but did not succeed. I was disappointed. And I didn’t get over it, so much as I let my disappointment fade into forgetfulness over time. I thought that was the final chapter of my meat-free lifestyle. The beginning of this story starts a couple years after that, where I gain access to the idea of veganism for the first time as a young teenager. 

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My vegan journey, Part 1: before veganism

   I don’t talk about my veganism much. There are a lot of reasons for this, including personal morals, misperceptions of others and as bad as it may sound, emotional exhaustion. But because of suggestions from other people, I’ve decided to talk about it anyway. Knowing that people want to hear about this has brought me to the decision to talk about it openly and honestly, so I hope you all enjoy. 

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