Your favorite message t-shirt

My dear friend Josh wearing Herbivore's t-shirt, and one of my faves.

After being really good at keeping my t-shirt collection to one drawer and donating lots of them to non-profits, I am in the market for a new t-shirt. To be clear, it could be a used t-shirt, just thinking that if you have a favorite t-shirt you won't want to give it to me.

I would like to wear this new t-shirt on vacation which is starting this week. That's not going to happen, so it will be added to the shirts I wear all of the time during the summer and at the gym.

I like message shirts. My current favorite t-shirts include:

Mercy For Animals

Think Green. Go Veg. (PETA)

Marriage is so gay.

Love conquers hate.

Vegan.

Only Kale can save us.

Bullies suck.

You get the idea. I would love examples from all of you of what your favorite message shirt is. Sure, I can go online and search for days. Or I can go to our blog family and ask you, hence this post. A photo of the t-shirt would be awesome, as would a photo of you wearing the t-shirt. If that's not possible, just what the t-shirt says and where I can purchase one would be great.

Also, if you have a favorite t-shirt (or ladies, if your boyfriend or closest male friend does) and it's a size large and no longer fits or you want a new one, send it to me!

Thanks everyone. I can't wait to see your faves!

Don't be a dick

NOTE: My apologies if this word offends you. Not my intent. It's the word I use to refer to poor behavior on my part.

I have never shied away from writing truly personal blog posts and this one goes along that line.

Many days I say to myself that no matter what goes on today, don't be a dick.

I always try my best to be as loving and compassionate as possible. It might look easy. It's not.

Whether I am driving somewhere, sitting in a meeting, watching someone treat someone else disrespectfully... the list could go on and on.

This has become my main goal every day (well one of two actually): to not be a dick. I guess I could use the word "jerk" instead, but that really isn't as powerful of a word. I suppose super-jerk would be more fitting. In case you're curious, my second main goal is to be as much of service as possible to the world I live in.

Recently I was in a meeting talking about a future plan of action. I was happy, feeling centered. All was well in my world. Another person at the meeting started talking about something (I don't even remember what) and just doesn't stop. I become inpatient, and before you know it everyone around me can tell. My sweet, loving self has started going down the path of becoming a dick. Fortunately I didn't say anything.

To be clear, being a dick and being a voice for the voiceless are two very separate things. I would not hesitate to get in someones face who was being abusive to an animal, using anti-gay words or being violent to someone. What I am talking about is totally different.

Some people jokingly call it their dark side. For me, when I start being a dick, it usually means that something is going on inside of me. Someone says something I disagree with and I get all pissed off.

I am getting better. I have tools and ideas to consider when I start feeling negative or angry. The biggest thing I can do is to remind myself that I do not want to treat others in a way that I do not like to be treated. And that I want to treat everyone I encounter with love, compassion and kindness.

I also remember simple things my mother taught me growing up: take a deep breathe, count to 10, stick and stones.

I would LOVE to hear your experiences around this. Can anyone relate?

Thank you for reading!

Back to the gym

Mike and I ran our first half marathon back on May 19th. I have run a couple of times since, no long distances just enough to get my heart rate up and get a good sweat.

I haven't worked out in the gym in a long time. Life gets busy. Work gets crazy. I'd rather come home after a long day and just relax, maybe watch a couple episodes of a past season of Dexter.

I don't get any healthier or any more fit if I don't exercise. At 47, I'm not really interested in the perfect body. Don't get me wrong, I want to look good, I just don't want to be in the gym every day for a couple of hours. A good physical week for me is three times in the gym for an hour or so.

The biggest reason I like working out is because of health. I feel better and I know that I am investing in my lifelong health savings account. Being vegan is a huge start. Not smoking and not drinking certainly helps. Continuous exercise is what wraps it all up and gives me a better chance of being as healthy as I can be.

Yesterday I went back to my gym after being absent for a  few weeks. The excuses mount: terrible allergy season that has not only affected my sinuses but also my lungs and breathing capacity; twisted my foot a week ago and it is still a little painful; and I'd much rather take a nap or lay on the couch and work on my blog.

I am SO glad I didn't. What an amazing workout! I felt awesome! Strong and ready to rock it. I am so glad I went and am ready to get back to a regular schedule.

I have gotten a lot better with what I eat and having a regular workout schedule is going to be a great addition to that.

It is all a process. My veganism only takes me so far. I realize when I am in a solid pattern of working out that I feel better physically and my body is only going to thank me in the future.

Off to drink my kale - spinach - blueberry - protein smoothie! Thanks for reading!

Ending animal cruelty in our own lives

One of my favorite vegan dishes: Spinach enchiladas at Tarascos.

The main reason I became vegan is because I made a decision that I did not want to be part of the horrible, innate cruelty that happens to animals so they can become a meal. I wanted to do as least harm as possible to other living beings, and it seemed that not eating them was a good start.

Sure, I enjoyed meat and cheese and loved ice cream. The latter became the hardest item to give up. My last non-vegan hold out was Ben and Jerry's Cherry Garcia ice cream.

After deciding to not consume any animal or any animal by product so I wouldn't be part of the animal cruelty that comes with those things, the transition to a plant-based life was rather easy. And uneventful. The most exciting and dramatic events would be around new vegan products coming along or me learning how to cook an incredibly delicious vegan dish.

In 17 years of being vegan, I have never been bored with food. Veganism catapulted me into a world that I had no idea existed. Flavors and textures and colors, all seemingly very exotic and different, now part of my regular eating habits.

If you are thinking this you are correct: I give up eating animals because I do not want to be part of animal cruelty on any level and I am the one who gets a huge benefit in how I live. Not just by all of the amazing food, but also by becoming healthier because of what I don't put into my body!

It all started with wanting to do the least harm and it has become a strong desire to not only think of that but also to be as compassionate as possible.

I have written about folks who think they could never be vegan and I experience folks who think becoming vegan is overwhelming. I can tell you that it is fun and simple, but I get it. It might not seem that way.

Just because veganism or living compassionately or considering a plant-based way of living might seem overwhelming doesn't mean you can't get started.

Start with one meal or one day. Meatless Mondays is a great way to start. There are also some who have been getting into this vegan before 6pm idea. Sure. A good start. There are so many opportunities for every meal. I know I have said there already, but it really is quite simple.

The internet can be a huge resource. We have links to many helpful sites on the main page of our blog. You can also find a local meetup of people who meet regularly to enjoy a vegan meal, whether at a restaurant or a potluck.

Every meal can become an act of compassion towards animals.

Thank you for reading and keep us posted on your adventure!