The Longest Year of My Damn Life
This has been the longest year of my damn life! Well… Not really but kind of! You see the year has been extremely informative and educational. It has also been tumultuous and rewarding.May 17, 2018 marked my 1 year anniversary in this vegan world and let me tell you, this shit is amazing. Side bar- The word vegan gets so much negativity attached to it, so I have started using the term “Earthly Eater” meaning that I eat what comes from the Earth. From now on I will refer to vegan as Earthly Eating. Okay! Good…
I have learned quite a bit of things over the past year and I know that I will only learn a ton more as the years go by. In this blog I will take you through some of the most important things that I have learned over the past 367 days and give you an insight to what this “Earthly Eating” can do for you. I will break it down into sections and explain so that I can clearly paint a picture of what I learned as well as sprinkle knowledge onto someone who may be at the precipice of jumping into this Earthly life. I hope that these words find everyone who reads this well and sheds some light on to your lives. Let’s start with one of the main things that I have learned…
Not as in slowly ween yourself off the meat and dairy,however, if you need to do that, DO IT. But start slow as in, know that it is okay to eat processed foods at first. Know that you are NOT perfect and there may be a time where you eat something in this stage that upon further review, contains milk. Yes, you will forget to read the label EVERYTIME, but you will learn to. You will forget to eat before you go out or pack a snack for after your outting, but you will learn to. All of these things will help you find your way in the world of earthly eating.
If you are uncertain, IT’S NORMAL! Not 1 person has jumped into this earthly lifestyle with all the answers. Example.You may be asking, can I have marshmallows or gummy bears? No because of gelatin. What is gelatin? Pork fat! It’s not listed on the packages in bold lettering like milk or eggs. I didn’t know at first, but they MUST list milk and eggs on the bottom and in BOLD if they are used in the making of that food item. They also have to list other stuff like soy and nuts because of they are a part of the 7 deadly allergens, EGGS, TREE NUTS, PEANUTS, SHELLFISH, FISH, WHEAT & SOY. So ALWAYS READ THE INGREDIENTS and when in doubt put that shit back
On its own, it happens, as long as you stay the course. You will learn things like which foods are processed and which are not. You will learn how to cook foods that you never thought you would even try… What you know about fennel or rhubarb. A funny thing happens when you actually dive into earthly eating without restrictions or limitations. You stop being lazy and start getting back to the basics. You start cooking again. Y’all remember what that is right? Pots, pans, seasonings you know shit like that. Not only that. You start challenging yourself and the cooking becomes FUN. You find new things to cook and develop in the kitchen. Now, that boring recipe for rice and beans becomes a curried garbanzo dish over cilantro rice, or instead of getting canned beans you get dry beans and go through the labor of letting them soak rinsing them and then finding out that, shit, if I add smoked paprika and a bay leaf to this it gives it a way better flavor than the canned beans. You get ideas in your head like, if I take these 2 bean types combine and mash them with some spelt flour, instead of regular flour, and seasonings I can make gluten free burgers! You start to fall in love with what you can do for yourself and your family in the kitchen and it is no longer cooking but it is an adventure.
At some point in your journey, if you are actually doing it and removing processed foods and other “bad vegan” foods from your diet, your brain opens up to a different level of ascension . For myself, this happened 7 months into my lifelong marathon. Once I removed the loads of processed crap from my life, I started to recognize something changing. Okay, I can’t lie… Potato chips have been the hardest to get rid of…. Damn chips! I started to see things that were happening around me in a light that I had never experienced before and it was BEAUTIFUL. I stopped using derogatory words to address myself and my friends, and started using uplifting and inspiring ones. I started to notice how, everyone knows this exists we just never fully pay attention to it and don’t understand that we are being affected, I started to notice how the media was DIRECTLY attacking the minds of our children, using beautiful colors and jingly ass jingles to shape and mold our youth into yearning for whatever product they were selling and or guiding them to whatever specific outcome they were seeking and it made me sick. I have children, and when I hear my son sing a jingle that has nothing to do with childhood, I CRINGE. You know, “When steak is really this good, you show it in slow mo”. Not saying that earthly eating puts up some magical shield against these jingles, just saying that I was clearly seeing the brainwashing and it sickened me. Instead of laughing at my kid for singing whatever jingle, I looked at myself and knew I had to do more to shape and mold his mind. I had to make the promise to myself that I was going to do everything I possibly could to combat the onslaught of brain washy ass uppercuts that they were throwing to make sure my children can formulate their own opinions.
Not sure when it happened or why, but I got happy. I mean I got really happy. I started listening to motivational speeches and joyful jams, that’s literally the playlist I have on my music app. I started to smile more and enjoy the moment. I started to STOP complaining. I took a deeper look inside myself and decided that I would no longer let the small things bother me. I became filled with joy and with each passing day the joy that I had intensified. I stopped entertaining complaints, and whenever someone came to me with them, I would do one of two things, I would say “ok well, what are you going to do about this situation” or I just wouldn’t respond. I started to see something amazing happen. Other people around me were starting to catch the joy that was oozing out of me, and people were letting me know it. They would come up to me and say, Ian I don’t know what changed but you have been super happy on social media and in person and it is contagious. Not only that. Positive things started to happen for myself as well. I had been wanting to start my cooking business, as well as start spreading positivity about this life, and just like that, I did. One day I just started doing things and I haven’t looked back since. Because I have been focusing on the positive and removing negative thoughts, great things like meeting new people with a mutual interest in helping each other has happened I have had complete strangers reach out to me and tell me that they love my energy, I mean I truly changed my ways and I was all the more better for it.
I was pre diabetic, had high blood pressure and ached EVERYWHERE! Well……… Notice I said was! Yeah, that’s right, WAS. Since becoming an Earthly Eater, the aforementioned issues are null and void. I noticed that I was able to work out now and I felt completely different than before. I also noticed that after the workout, instead of being completely gassed and wiped out, now I was actually good. Don’t get me wrong now, I can tell that I have worked out, but the aches and pain from all the inflammation that I had was gone now and the sheer exhaustion had left with it. My health completely turned around and I was all the more better for it.
The biggest and greatest take away from this is that LIFE HAPPENS. When you eat the way we were designed to eat, Life truly happens. I have lost weight, gained some back from drinking but that’s a different story. I have improved my health; I have cleansed my soul and gained a joy that was unknown to me. I have gained a higher level or thought and education. I have seen a light shine in others because of how bright the light shinned in me. All of this is life & all of this is love. In reading this I hope that you all will take away 2 things.
Number 1… Eat Earthly damnit lol
Number 2 and more importantly, because I know that even after me telling you that this has been the best decision of my life a bunch of y’all are going to go eat a damn steak, hell some of y’all are reading this with some form of animal product on your plate or in your hand, put down the drumstick man lol.
No seriously number 2, Be the love that you want to see. What I mean by that is, if you are someone who wants to see a better world, then be that “better”. If you are someone that sees mass shootings, unlawful police killings, crimes against children or any other atrocity and it makes you sick to your stomach. If you see these things and it makes you say NO! This isn’t right and it must change! If this is you, then I need you to BE THAT CHANGE.I want you to approach each day and opportunity with positivity. When the bullshit comes your way, sidestep it and get right back in your positive lane. I want you to remain in your positive space because I can guarantee you this. If the sun shines on you long enough, you can’t help but to warm up! This means, be that sun and shine your light on others so that they can’t help but to warm up. Be the love you want to see. Stay positive, smile, laugh and love life. After all… as far as we all know. You only get one. Till the next time… PEACE!
Ladies & Gentlemen I appreciate your attention and I appreciate your time. The fact that you took time to read this is extremely humbling and I want you to know that you are appreciated.
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