joy – thepeacefulhappyvegan

This post is intended to remind you about the importance of your journey

We are all on a different journey. You might have a career goal, or an educational goal like obtaining a specific degree. Maybe your goal is to have a family, to buy a house? Goals and planning are a necessity in life, we all need to think about our future from time to time, but I want to remind you that true happiness can only come from now, and should not be dependent on a goal. If you do not enjoy or find happiness in the steps you take on your journey to your goals, then you would have wasted much of your life being unhappy.

Exactly when will you be happy then? Will you only be happy once ______? Happiness comes from now, not from tomorrow. You can apply this to anything you are working toward currently. Take a moment to think about your goals. Do you feel you will be happier once you accomplish them?

What if you don’t? What if you never get that promotion? What if you are unable to finish school? What if you get sick? There are many what ifs in life, which is why it only makes sense to be happy now. Happiness should not be dependent on what you accomplish, life is always changing, and often times things don’t end up the way we have planned. It is easier, lighter, simpler to enjoy each breathe, each step, now. There will be times of frustration while you are up late writing a paper, or staying late at work, putting in extra time to get to your goals, but it’s important to always assess your life situation. Do you spend more time being happy or unhappy. If you had a few stressful days last month but overall you feel good, happy, that is fine. If you spent a quarter of your month miserable or unhappy try to see what you can do differently to improve your mood.

Perhaps you are working two jobs to pay your rent, or you could be a single mom or dad struggling to afford childcare. No matter what your circumstance, it is normal to feel stressed or worried. Life is challenging, and some of us are in situations out of our control. Not everyone is happy all the time, I understand this. There is a lot of suffering in this world, but those who suffer need people around them to lift them up. A smile, a hug, a conversation. Being grateful for what you do have, reflecting, and appreciating can help to create and instant feeling of joy.

If you know me, then you know that I am usually smiling or laughing. I’ve been this way since I was a child. I’ve found that being joyful is often contagious. If I can bring joy to a friend who is stressed, a family member who is sad, or a patient that is suffering, I have a great sense of inner joy and happiness.

I don’t expect you to go skipping through the streets everyday, I just want you to get the most out of life.

Someone once told me, “What do you have to be stressed about? You have a good job, money, you travel.” Little did that person know I was suffering from terrible anxiety at that point in my life. It was a burden which took nearly two years to overcome. I still occasionally have moments of anxiety, but I am in a much better place today. It is easy to judge someone on the outside. Keep in mind that some of us have internal struggles that are overbearing and just as difficult as financial hardships or other external struggles.

Make sure you spend your time doing what you love, with who you love.

My profession as a nurse has given me a deep understanding and appreciation for life. I often see people at the end of their lives. Let me tell you, no one cares what they look like, how thin or heavy they are, what brand of clothes they are wearing, or how many things they have. The only thing that matters to most of my patients is family. All of us will leave this world one day, and I already know when it’s my time, I will be at peace. This is because I live my life with intention; I try my best to make good choices, to be kind, and to do what I believe is right. This is one of the reasons I decided to go vegan as well. I am deeply saddened by the state of our environment and the continued abuse of animals. We need change now, not tomorrow. I wish more people felt the same, there would be a great deal of change if people chose to make changes today instead of tomorrow.

I hope I have given you something to think about today. I want all of you to find happiness. If your situation is difficult and stressful, try taking a few minutes of peace each day to sit with yourself, be grateful for the things you do have, redirect your negative thoughts to positive ones. Maybe you are grateful to be alive, to be walking, to be healthy. We all have something to be grateful for. This will create a good foundation for happiness and joy in your life.

Have a peaceful and happy day 🙂

The only difference is your attitude

As a society, we have been conditioned since birth to eat certain animals ( cows, pigs, fish) and love others (dogs, cats). This is likely the reason many of us have such a difficult time wrapping our heads around the idea of veganism. It’s as if animal consumption was never a choice really, just a part of life. I never remember giving much thought to eating animals growing up. As far as I’m concerned I’ve always loved animals, but then why did I eat them? Conditioning. Culture. Tradition. So many things tie us to animal consumption. Someone once told me “I can’t give up meat, my family would be so upset”. But what about them? what about the animals…

It’s easy to be served a burger in a restaurant and not associate a cow with it when you take a bite. We are so far removed from the process of how our food gets to us, that we just don’t think about it.

Cows, chickens and other animals have feelings. They get scared, they miss their moms when they get separated, and they feel pain.

If the only way you could get a burger was to kill the cow yourself, would you still want the burger? I assume a lot fewer people would be eating meat if this were the case. Every time we purchase dairy, eggs, meat, poultry, and fish we are in fact paying someone else to kill that being for us.

I am not trying to make you feel bad. If you do feel bad it’s probably because you’ve never thought of the foods you eat in this way, that’s ok, most people never think of this. My goal is simply to help you understand that you have a choice.

Why I’m vegan…

My journey to veganism started in February of 2016, I was watching a YouTube video about makeup, and the person was discussing cruelty-free animal products. In the middle of her video she inserted some disturbing images of what happens to animals when they are tested with the makeup and body products we use each day. I knew products were tested on animals but I never gave it much thought until I saw that video. I suddenly felt compelled to research day and night about animal cruelty. What I read and the images I saw were shocking. To this day I think “are we insane?” Is our society so blinded by its own desires for products, for things…. I know I was. I went vegetarian the day I saw that YouTube video, and 7 months later I went vegan. For those of you not familiar, this means I no longer eat animals. Veganism is more than just about the food you eat, it also means you don’t wear or use any products made with animal ingredients or tested on animals. I am still transitioning to vegan products, which I’m sure will take some time. I don’t believe in wasting the things I already have, that wouldn’t be practical. There are several other reasons I chose veganism, which I will discuss on my blog in the future.

Guilt

I still hold a lot of guilt inside about all the unnecessary suffering I contributed to for the last 30 years. Surprisingly, this has been the hardest part of going vegan for me. The emotional guilt. I also struggle with purchasing animal products for other people as well. How can you really tell a family member or friend while out to lunch, “Sorry I don’t want to pay for the burger you ordered”. Some might say, “Don’t worry about it, you are doing so much already.” I try to think about it in this way, but it’s very difficult for me. I’m happy I woke up though, that’s what it feels like. It’s odd, I think back to before, when I ate animals….it seems like forever ago, but it hasn’t even been a year.

Consider giving up just one animal product? For them?

I’ve always disliked the attitudes some vegans have towards people who consume animals. If you do eat animals, I am not here to judge you. I am here to share my feelings and knowledge. To help you see animal consumption differently. I don’t think you are a bad person if you eat meat. Perhaps you just haven’t received enough info on the topic.

If you are interested in stopping your contributions to animal suffering, try taking one animal product out of your diet. The way I see it, everything makes a difference. If you give up red meat then you are no longer paying someone to kill cows. You are also not contributing to the massive amount of water it takes to produce red meat either. Not to mention all the methane cows release which is contributing greatly to global warming.

Look for this bunny on the products you buy, it means the company doesn’t harm animals in any way

Still not convinced?

Try watching a few documentaries: Forks Over knives, Cowspiracy, Earthlings, and there is a new one up on Netflix called Food Choices. There are also many books, articles and me. If you have any questions feel free to comment below. I’m currently reading….

Compassion for all

The older we get, the more we reflect on life. I think a lot about what I want to be remembered for. Veganism is definitely one of them. I guess I feel like I found my purpose in a way. I want everyone to love more, to care. I hope someone who reads this makes a change, maybe that person will be you.

Have a peaceful and happy day

Tag: joy

Be happy now, enjoy your journey

Vegan for the animals