Barriers

I have this problem. I avoid myself, and others. I set up barriers. My main barrier: boys... they keep me away from who I truly am, make me do stupid things. Since being away from boys for over a year now, I have found so many more barriers that I put up on a daily basis, excuses, etc. In order to let down my barriers I have to be painfully honest with myself. So painfully honest. I will admit, there have been times where I have wanted to give up and go back to my old ways. Just live my life oblivious to the world and my barriers. Living inside myself, and barricaded from myself all at the same time. Completely Isolated from the world and myself, not knowing who I really am, completely and utterly alone. I have two amazing best friends who have been there for me through this whole thing, they recognize my barriers now that I am telling them about them and they are forcing me to be honest with myself, even when it is so hard. So I am challenging anyone reading this, if you ever do anything as a quick and easy fix to make yourself feel better, or to try and hide from something, or to try and fit in. STOP. NOW. seriously. It is not worth it, be yourself, God made you the way you are for a reason. He also made you human, unable to see his full plan from where you are now, so if it seems like life is going nowhere... hang in there. God has showed me that he has a plan with every wind blowing, every snowflake that falls. Everything has a reason. Love yourself, God doesn't make mistakes.

Who eats a dead bird?

The other day I went to bread co, I was sitting down to eat when I looked down and there was a chunk of a DEAD BIRD on my table... a piece of carcass... a slice of an flesh on the table. I think the person before me was eating it.... I mean seriously. It was a slice of turkey but I hadn't been that close to meat in a long time and it totally took me off guard, that some animal had died... and then some human had sliced its dead body up and served it to someone... and then that person left pieces of their dead-body-meal on my table. That is all I could think about when I saw it... who eats a dead bird?

STUFFED CRUST and STUFFED BELLY

My dad and I made pizza last night. He never liked cheese so we only put Daiya on my half. I know before I had mentioned to use Daiya sparingly because of its miraculous melting capabilities... but I just love it too much. I used a whole bag on my side and the stuffed crust...and on eating it out of the bag... woops! We also had black olives and tomatoes (his side only!) To stuff the crust I just pulled up on the crust, shoved in some Daiya, and pinched it down! probably best done before you put the sauce on but I was A) too excited about having pizza and B) making stuffed crust for the first time and wasn't thinking technically. It turned out really well... however the crust could have used more Daiya... better yet everything could use more Daiya, but that is beside the point. I LOVED it, and hadn't had stuffed crust in years! If you think you can't go vegan because of the cheese, this will change your mind! Marvel in the beauty of Daiya!

A clarification is in order

I wanted to bring up a very important note. Not all vegan's are exactly the same. This is extremely crucial to remember. Not all humans are the same either. Where each individual draws the line is their own decision and no one has the right to question this. I personally consume honey, sugars that are processed with bone char, and I am sure tons of other enzymes and whatnot. I do not consume gelatin or eggs, dairy, whey, casein, and the like. I do however have a don't ask don't tell policy when I go out to eat with things like bread or noodles, as dairy in these will not cause me to get sick. I do not want people thinking being vegan is a drag and I don't want waiters spitting in my food. You may disagree with this, feel free, just know that everyone is entitled to their own opinion and just that. It swings both ways. Just be aware that I am not really concerned with trace amounts of potential animal derived ingredients (like glycerides, etc) if you are, double check your ingredients before following my recipes. And please, be respectful of everyone's choices. Being vegan is about being compassionate (for some people) and ragging on someone for not being "vegan-enough" like vegetarians, pescatarians, and flexitarians is not compassionate. They are on your side, so harping on them about when they are going to take the plunge is inconsiderate. It will be more beneficial if you are a good friend and walk with them through life, remember they are a sentient being as well and deserve just as much respect as the animal you are trying to save.