My first year as a Vegetarian turned semi-pescatarian and what it all means for me

Happy New Year!!

Last year on January 1st, 2017 - a year ago today - I had my last taste of meat.  Well it was processed meat on a pizza so not sure that is really meat but alas looking back, I should have fried a pound of bacon and gone out with a bang!

I have always liked animals but in the last 15+ years, really since getting my own pets, I have fallen truly madly deeply in love with the magic of animals.  I donate to causes and help where I can but honestly after so much crap happened in 2016 (yes I am looking at you Donald Trump) I felt I just had to do more.  I had been struggling for a while with the juxtaposition of loving let's say cats and dogs but being okay with eating pigs and cows even though I claim to "love all animals" so I made the move to becoming a vegetarian.

Now I must say, all of these thoughts and feelings only apply to my life with no judgement of others.  I honestly think vegans and vegetarians have a bad reputation because people think all we want to do is convert and shame those who don't do the same.  Don't get me wrong - there are those people and it isn't right.  It is okay to share information (such as yes I still get all the protein necessary without eating meat OR did you know it takes 1799 gallons of water to produce one pound of beef  OR what is done to dairy cows to keep that milk coming) and talk about your lifestyle but shaming others isn't where it's at.  I think so much of the bullshit in this world comes from just that - people thinking they know what is best for other's lives.  I strongly believe in not eating animals and if someone wants to know more or it could change even a bit of their mindset great but I am on my own journey here.

I grew up in a meat and potatoes family and honestly before last January 1st, I rarely ever had a lunch or supper without meat - it seemed like, impossible.  Why would I even eat a meal without meat?  So I wasn't someone who just ate meat periodically or a few times a week, it was every.single.day.  So this was no small change for me - this was one of the biggest lifestyle changes I have ever made.  Now people who know me know that I am sort of an 'all or nothing girl' so this isn't the way I would recommend everyone doing it but for me, I felt I wanted to make the change - full on.

The biggest shock of it all?  I don't miss eating meat.  Don't get me wrong, there have been times, especially early on, where the smell of fried chicken going into Superstore nearly brought me to my knees or a breakfast sandwich packed with bacon didn't seem delicious and like I was missing out on something.  What I have discovered though is a whole new world of flavour and food and spices and restaurants catering to a world without meat.  It's extraordinary really - food I never would have taken a 2nd glance at it is so packed with goodness and it was there all along.  I cook so much more than I used to and usually try something new every week - I mean, being a vegetarian isn't about eating a salad every damn meal that's for sure.  That isn't realistic for anyone.

So my reasoning was first ethical but what I have found is that I also feel better mentally because I know I am doing good - such an amazing benefit.  I have even cut way back on dairy, I do eat cheese (mostly in social situations or at restaurants) but I would say I eat dairy 1/10 of what I used to which is also a positive contribution.  I also know I am putting stuff into my body that is of the earth and that is so beneficial for my well-being and longevity.  We don't know what our genetics have in store for us long term but I feel like I want to do what I can to help my case for a long life now.

Recently, due to some skin issues that are not surprising to me - I am super sensitive and dry skinned - I have added some sustainable fish back into my life.  It was a very hard decision for me and I honestly felt like failure.  I talked to Peter about it, who has been nothing but supportive of my decision and a great taste-tester to lot of my experiments, and he helped me see I was still doing so much good yet I needed to couple that with what is best for my body as well.  I don't eat fish every day, maybe once a week on an average week...sometimes not at all in a week..but I feel it is good for my body to add a bit back in and I have to be okay with that - this is my journey, no one else's and I need to be kind to myself.

I hear a lot of "I could never give up bacon" from people and I get it for the most part but for me, I have to say, I do not miss beef, pork or poultry at all and that is one of the most freeing experiences of my life both physically and mentally.  I have learned not to base my happiness on eating a specific food or not eating a specific food.  I have definitely made peace with knowing what I am doing is not a punishment for myself - it is the exact opposite.

I guess I just wanted to share a bit about my journey over the last year and what it's been like for me.  I expect to continue the same into 2018 and hopefully for the rest of my life.  It is my small contribution to the world while also enriching my own life - what more could one ask for?

My goal in 2018 is to start replacing all products where possible with cruelty-free products - why not keep the personal evolution going, right?

And one parting tip, if you see this symbol on any product you know that company, nor it's parent company, does not do any testing on animals.

I wish each of you an amazing 2018!

The world can seem very dark these days but...

Like many people, I assume, ever since November 8th, 2016 things have felt a bit heavier.  Going to bed on the night of the US Elections I just kept thinking, this can't be real...right?  The host of the Apprentice is now going to be the president? I understand fully that I am Canadian and DT is not my president however I still felt like for everyone, somehow, this was going to be bad.  Since his inauguration I think it has become quite clear - this will effect us all and we must find a way to support and be kind to everyone we can because as global citizens, we are all in this together.  In the grand scheme of things, we are all just a blip in time but we need to make this blip as hospitable for all as possible.

For me, as November and December 2016 progressed I found myself less and less able to consume international news, less able to read internet comments from cowardly keyboard warriors and less able to understand the hatred I was seeing around the world and here at home.  People not able to accept others because they are seen as "different" from them yet we are are all fundamentally the same, humans trying to make it...and I see this getting lost and it has affected me a lot.  It was and still is taking it's toll on me and I had to find a way to try to deal with it constructively.

I have taken a few social media steps to help with this such as unfollow people and publications that talk about nothing except DT and the state of the world.  I use Twitter less and less and I have started to follow "lighter" things to ensure my timelines were somewhere I wanted to spend some of my day.  I am not burying my head in the sand, I know bad things are happening, I can't escape hearing about it and I started to think, how can I play my part?

I already donate to charity, support animal rescue groups and try to be as kind to friends, family and strangers as possible - although no one is perfect but I try!  I started to think though...what more can I do?  A few years ago I saw a documentary called "Forks Over Knives" on Netflix, Peter and I watched it together actually.  After that I thought, maybe I should stop eating meat?  Could I really do that?  I don't think at the time I really felt I could or I was ready - in my head it seemed complicated.  I personally knew a few people who didn't eat meat but the thought seemed overwhelming.  As many people know, I LOVE ANIMALS.  I think they are pure of heart creatures we are blessed to have in our lives, truly one of the greatest achievements of the Big Bang.  Not only do animals make great memes on the internet, especially kitties, but they are amazing life companions or creatures of the wild to behold.  I honestly like animals more than most people with a few wonderful exceptions!

So I started to consider not eating meat as my contribution - it is small in the grand scheme of life but with the other things I do, I felt like this could reconcile in my head my love for animals and leave less of a carbon footprint.  I thought about it without mentioning it to anyone for a few months and then finally before Christmas I talked to Peter about it - he is my sounding board of reason, most of the time.  He pointed out that I often times put A LOT of pressure on myself when I decide to do something, especially when it comes to diet and exercise and this is so very true.  We talked about how I could maybe ease myself into it (which did not happen haha).  Also I decided to not make any huge declarations of being a vegetarian because I wasn't even sure I could do it or where to even start.
With the guidance of some great folks including Brianna, Melissa and Tina I found some recipes, got some greater understanding and on Sunday, January 1st I made some of my first vegetarian dishes.  As of right now, January 1st 2017 is also the last day I ate meat.

So how is it going?  Well I have to say, so far so good!  I have told myself that I may eat meat again and I am okay with that.  Who knows what might happen in life, where I might be with no options or maybe an overwhelming urge I cannot resist - but I am going to be okay with it if it happens.  Even if I were to eat meat 2-3 times a year, that is nothing compared to every single day.  I have made some incredible recipes and some not so great ones, I have become excited about food in a very different way and when I think of what I am accomplishing in terms of the reconciliation in my head for animals, it feels...right.  I am likely eating healthier than ever although that is not why I am doing this.  I already ate well and I am not doing this as a diet or to lose weight - this is about my impact in the world, no matter how big or small and I am doing it for my mental health and for animals.

I come from a wonderful family of hunter and gatherers where meat was a true staple.  Before I stopped eating meat, there were probably maximum 5 days a year I didn't eat meat and really that seems like too many.  I remember even saying at some point, I can't imagine a meal without meat - it just didn't compute in my head.  I am super surprised about not missing meat while I am eating any meal.  My motto is - it needs to taste good and fill me, it no longer HAS to contain meat.  I do think of meat - I mean bacon, am I right?  I think of it most when I am hungry and I am still adjusting to the occasional lust for meat and I think that is normal.  I am changing the way I think and my body from the inside - it's a big deal physiologically.

I in no way would ever try to convince someone else to do this - everyone needs to find their own truth and way to contribute nor would I ever look upon anyone as eating meat with any contempt.  This is a personal choice and who knows how things will go but I just wanted to share my journey so far...and I am still not sure I would label myself as a vegetarian, we will see at 6 months - maybe then!

Thanks for reading xo

Cute aninmals, that is all for now! :)

Anticipation is...Wait for it....

So I got thinking today as a colleague waited to find out if she got a position, that anticipation can be a good thing and it can also be an agonizing thing!

For me, I am the kind of person that needs something to look forward to.  No life isn't that bleak that I need milestones to get me through but it is just how I have always been.  I am excited by events and look forward to things and get excited by being able to look forward to something.  There are people in my life such as my mother and even Pete who aren't overly excitable and just take things as they come and enjoy them when they arrive but not really the lead up to the event as much.

A friend's mother once said: Anticipation is half the fun!  I have never forgotten this but as I look around, that isn't always the case!  In instances such as waiting on medical results or waiting to see if you did get that job you really really want, the anticipation is a bit painful and agonizing in those situations...which equals not a lot of fun!

So anticipation really can be tricky!  Now for me, I got so excited about the lead up to things I couldn't sleep when I was younger such as the first day of school (yes I was a geek), Christmas morning, the last day of school....those were the big things in life at that age and I waited and waited and anticipated and waited some more!  The really tricky part though about anticipation is wishing something would arrive, it does and then what?  You are left with some memories but it is now over...all that waiting and build up to have time pass you right by and the anticipation for that one thing must cease!  It is almost like a balloon being deflated.
That is the thing with anticipation, whatever you are waiting for will eventually come and well,  then it is over!

Not everyone looks at things that way but like I said, I need me some stuff to look forward to.  It doesn't have to be huge stuff like a trip but even a busy weekend or in some cases, a not busy weekend but I like to have something on the go in the near future!  I am not sure what to even call this, is it a personality trait?  Am I lacking something in day to day life?  Do I just like to be excited and hopeful for the future?  I am not sure but I am happy the way I am, in this regard.  I like being excited about stuff instead of being hum drum about things...again there are bad types of anticipation but I sure do enjoy the good ones!!

Things I am currently anticipating:

Weekend away to Cape Breton
Weekend at home for Easter
Fun work trip at the end of April
Cruise in May
Trip to Toronto in June
Wedding and bridal shower of a friend in July
My bridal shower/bachelorette and our wedding in August
Our honeymoon in late November

Now of course spontaneity is great too, don't get me wrong.  I do love it when fun things (not bad things) pop up suddenly and life takes a different turn!  That is really fun too and I enjoy that as well because that is what makes life complete...some expected but also some unexpected to keep things exciting and fun!

Are you someone who prefers to enjoy stuff in the moment it happens or enjoy the lead up to the moment as well?  Both are fine, but it is just interesting how everyone has a different approach!

I must end though with something my dad always says as well which is: "Don't wish your life away!"

This is a great point for me being such an anticipator because that is how it seems when you are always waiting for something to happen....

Until next time...xoxo

Welcome back Cotter...errr Meggan!

Wow!

It has been a long time since I updated, life has truly gotten in the way!  I feel horribly guilty actually and have thought of my blog many times in longing but just have not sat down to pay the proper attention!

So here I am, I hope you can forgive me....and still have interest in reading!

I don't remember when I last wrote but we have since moved apartments!  On a whim we checked out another place, not much more money and an additional bedroom so I could have my own office and just as much on a whim we decided to take it!  February involved a whole lot of purging junk, cleaning and stinky effing cardboard boxes!  If I never see a cardboard box again, I will be very happy!
We decided to be grown ups and hire movers which was great.  It was a bit of money but money well spent indeed!  Our new place is fab!  I really love it here!  We have a upstairs where the bedrooms and main bathroom and storage is along with washer and driver.  Downstairs is an ungodly large dining room, 1/2 bathroom, living room and kitchen!  Balcony down and upstairs off our bedroom!  The kitties didn't have a pleasant move at all.  To put it mildly, they are not fans of the cat carrier, in fact they hate it and are petrified!  It was a rough move on those little guys but now that we are well settled in they are very happy!   Shogun has lots of room to play and run and Simon, well he has more places to be grumpy!

It is funny, I didn't realize that I needed this change but I really really did.  I now know I was caught in a rut at the old place, same old thing, day after day.  This isn't to say every 5-6 years I will need a change but I now realize I sure did in this case.  The new place feels like more of a home and we have spent time decorating it and making it feel like we are adults and all that fun stuff!!

Wedding plans are coming along great!  Will be sending out Save the Dates in April as I come from God's Country yes but God's Country doesn't have many accommodations unfortunately!  It pretty much is my only stress right now, hoping and praying (God's Country, haha) that there will be enough places for people to stay!  Otherwise everything is booked and picked out and what not for now!  I get so excited when I think about it and just think it is going to be a fun summer!

One of my dearest friends is moving home from Edmonton tomorrow!  Brianna has been gone for almost 5 years and it is almost unimaginable to have her in the same town to see her whenever and wherever, what a luxury!  She has been such a good friend to me, it is hard to put it into words!  We literally talk almost everyday and to be able to share everything in person will be great!   Also my parents are coming for the weekend and it is a month away now before ma and I head on our cruise, lots on the go!!!!!!!

Yeah so this was a boring entry but I just felt you were all DYING to be caught up on my life..like how much better do you feel!?  You feel complete now don't you! :)

Next entry will be more enlightening on a grand scale but I AM BACK BABY!!!!!!!!!

Currently reading: The Brightest Star in the Sky by Marian Keyes
(Since my last entry I had read: The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo and I highly recommend it)

Till next time..xoxo

Talent..where does it come from??

Sorry for my lack of writing lately...I have a lot going on with work and preparing to move and just general life but I will try to do better!! :)

So this past weekend we went to a party, it was fun, got to meet some new people and enjoy some guitars and singing.  Looking around the room at a variety of people, it got me thinking, why do certain people have certain talents?  I mean, I can guess why on a scientific level but plainly on a cognitive level, it really got me thinking.
We had a very yummy and amazingly decorated cake while we were there by lovely Kathleen Donovan (check out her page on Facebook) but then even though she had a cold she sat down and sang better than I ever could, cold or not, and played the guitar.  That was three talents all in one night that were displayed...cake making, singing and guitar.
Then not once but TWICE Peter played an original song that he literally made up on the spot!  He made up two whole songs by just starting to play his guitar and singing.  I was honestly floored when he told me that he just made them up as he went along.  They were really good and he would never remember them the next day but the fact that he could do that just blew my mind!
For a moment I thought, well this is all really rather unfair! haha  Also there were others playing guitar and singing and they looked free and comfortable and they really enjoyed their talent.
Rather than feel sorry for myself it got me thinking, there has to be something we are all good at!  It might not be something so overt such as singing or playing a guitar or being able to dance really well but we all must have something.
How often do we appreciate the things we are good at and really give ourselves credit?
It is a lot easier to pick ourselves apart with the negatives and a lot of people also feel that if they display or celebrate their talents that they will look arrogant or like a show-off.

I think though that it is really important to take a moment and recognize what we do well, what special gifts our parents and nature have given us in our almighty DNA!

Even though my potential has gone mostly unused so far in life, I do feel I have a talent for writing.  Even just writing the previous sentence I feel guilty for saying that but why?  It isn't as if I am saying, I am THE best writer ever.  I so am not, obviously but to even say I am good at something is hard to put out there.

Not everything we are good at is a talent such as being a good listener or being able to give good advice but they are positives and you should be able to recognize that.

What do you do well?  What is your talent and do you give yourself credit for having that talent?  Is your talent being wasted or used?

I admire people with overt talents and who use them and do celebrate them by sharing them with others!
What if figures such as Jackson Pollock or Bono or Mark Zuckerberg had kept their talents to themselves?

Just some food for thought!

Still reading...Water for Elephants and it is most excellent, I just haven't read much lately but I will!!

Until next time...xo

Where does your outlook on life really come from?

If we are lucky, each and everyday we wake up!  (hopefully you have gone to sleep at some point as well, this much I am going to assume).

We each swing our feet over the side of our sleeping apparatus (bed, futon, couch, whatever) and start a new day in this world.

But what is your attitude going to be like today and really, where does that come from?  I believe you really do choose your attitude!  I know that is an old and possibly corny statement but I really believe it.  Everyone, and I mean everyone, has stuff going on in their lives.  Whether you are a parent and you are juggling a thousand balls in the air at once, you might be having relationship or family issues, you might just not feel well that particular day.    Each and every person starts that day and chooses to deal with it in a certain way.

Through the avenue of Facebook, people's statuses have become sound bites of how people either want to appear or how they are and then they show that to the world.  I never really considered the concept of this very much and was a huge status updater for a very long time but have really curbed that now and am much happier because of it for some reason.  There needs to be some mystery in life I guess.

But back to our attitudes and why people choose different ones.  I know for me personally, I try to start each day with a positive outlook, it isn't always a choice, it just is the way I feel.  Sometimes throughout the day things happen that may not be as positive and may effect that but I try to make my initial perspective a positive one.  I don't have any major issues in my life right now and I am sure that helps but I still choose my attitude.  I truly feel as well that the right foods and exercise play a huge role in my mental state and my mood.  I want to be happy, I want to see the good around me.  I am not this way 100% but I try, I really do (even if I don't always succeed!).

What makes other people choose the opposite a lot of the time?  There are so many different reasons and I can't even or don't want to speculate, it could be so many things.  I guess in saying all this I wish for people who are perpetually negative or feel when they wake up that is just going to be another tough or crappy day, well what if you thought a different way?  What if you thought, yes today is going to be tough, I am going to face this kind of challenge, I am going to face it all head on and try to make the most of it.  I literally just saw a commercial with a man who is running a marathon on prosthetic legs...what if he woke up and thought, I don't even have legs, what do I have left to live for?  He has obviously made a choice to make the most of his short time here on earth.  Life could be so much more difficult even though some days you couldn't imagine it to be worse.

I don't know, I just feel that our time here on earth is so short and we really should try to make the most of it.

Again, none of this applies to every single day in life because that isn't realistic but facing each day head on should be a priority!

I would wish that for everyone!

On a lighter note...two yummy things I have found!
Blue menu muffin mix...pineapple, carrot and bran....12 large muffins, 3 points a muffin, very high in fibre!

Also, Skinny Cow Cookies and Cream ice cream sandwiches, 4 points and SO WORTH IT!!!

Thanks for stopping by and here's to wishing you a fantastic tomorrow!!

Until next time...xx