Food, Inc.

Yes, I know it's a liberal film that doesn't quite tell the whole story. 

But still.  I saw the movie today for the second time in my Human Geography class.  And something occurred to me.  The first time I saw it, I don't really think it sunk in (which might've had something to do with who I was watching it with....). ;)  But in all seriousness, now that I've decided to be vegan (at least for a short while), my decision is being reinforced by things like that.

If you've never seen the movie, you should.  Even if you're not a proponent of animal rights, you still should know what you're eating and where it comes from.  Let's be honest - we ought to know what we're putting in our bodies, but we don't anymore.  It's a well-done movie that, although slightly biased, says a lot of important things.  And after watching it again today, I wouldn't be surprised if I just stayed Vegan.  I've recently become incredibly convicted about being a responsible consumer - environmentally, personally, geographically, socially... in every way possible.  In the food I buy, in the companies I actively or passively support, in the clothes I wear, in the things I say and do... I think it's so important to understand the consequences of our actions.

But what, you ask, can one individual possibly do about issues like global child labor?!  Yes, it's daunting.  I'll be the first to admit that.  I'm often overwhelmed by it, actually.  It's a constant struggle for me to remember that I am not God and that I can only do so much.  But I recently read an article for my Moral Philosophy class that suggested that cruelty persists because people still believe that individuals cannot make a difference.  And so I will, as an individual, stand up and do my part.  It will be small.  But you say, if I don't buy it/eat it/do it, certainly someone else will, right?!  Wrong!  What if 1 million of the 300 million people we have living in the United States decided to stop buying clothes that were made in sweatshops?  That could mean that those 1,000,000 people live in 1,000,000 different communities around the country, who have never met one another and who will never meet one another, and maybe they are even the ONLY people in their communities to do such a thing.  Does that mean that those 1,000,000 people aren't making a difference just because they FEEL isolated?  No!  Being alone in something should not prevent you from standing up for something you know is right - in fact, it should invigorate you!  This is what I seek to do - not just with this, but with every aspect of my life. 

So don't be surprised if I stay vegan.  Because right now, to me, it looks like there are a lot of good reasons for being vegan, and only 3 good reasons for not being vegan:  meat tastes good, laziness, and ignorance. (Ask me again in a month, I might have changed my tune... ;))

Lovers and Knots

Sometime a couple summers ago  I went to Colorado Springs with a group to the Garden of the Gods (if you live in Colorado and you've never been - GO! It's fantastic.), and in the gift shop I found (of all things), a ring.

Now, I'm not really a girly-girl (shocking, I know), but I do love me some jewelry. especially rings.  Why, I don't know.  I just like them.

So I got this ring, because I loved it.  This was around the time that I was starting to re-examine my faith, and around the time that I was (although not a Christian) starting to rediscover God. And the ring turned into a symbol of my relationship with God.  I wear it on my ring finger on my left hand.  It's sort of a purity ring, but it's more.  It's not just that I'm waiting for my version of Mr. Darcy, it's that until I meet him (and even after I meet him), God is my everything.  The ring is traditionally a lovers knot ring.  And that's what it is.  I've fallen head-over-heels completely crazy in love with God.  And thats why I wear that ring.

But somehow, sometime in the last 2 months, I managed to forget why I wear the ring.  I play with it constantly, take it off, twist it around, put it back on.  I feel naked without it.  But I forgot what it meant.  Until Sunday (Thank you, N, for the sermon...). 

But it's true, God IS my everything.  I'm his bride.  And I need to remember that. 

Loving Spring

For those of you who don’t have or don’t check facebook, here’s my status: (Yea, mom, this is for you.)

*I’m currently sitting the steps of the Lincoln Memorial working on some homework.*

Yes, that’s right, I live in one of the coolest places ever.  :)

The last 3 days here have been absolutely and fantastically gorgeous, and I’m starting to remember that Spring may in fact be my favorite season (ask me again in June though and I might have a different answer).  Except for the wind.  That part is making me absolutely crazy.  But it’s been phenomenally gorgeous, people have been out, and despite the fact that I am (as always) behind on school work due to procrastination, not entirely sure what the next year of my life looks like (that’s an understatement), and wishing desperately that DC had some mountains nearby (quick shout-out to Colorado!), I’m so incredibly happy.  I didn’t know I could be this happy.  (ok, I did, but it still feels really good.)  It’s not often that I let myself be this genuinely and completely happy.  Don’t get me wrong, I’m good here.  I love it, and I’m mostly happy, but my brain is always running and there’s always that issue (or issues) nagging in the back of my brain.  That’s not a bad thing - I need people and issues and life ot keep me grounded sometimes – but sometimes I also need to let myself go.  I need to just rest in the complete and fantastic goodness of God. Which is what I’m doing right now. 

A couple weeks ago at church, we talked about the passage in Mark where Jesus feeds 5,000 (yep, that famous story with the loaves and the fish).   I love that story, and I love that story even more ever since hearing my pastor preach about it (I pretty much have the coolest church ever).  But one of the things he said that really struck me was that the beginning of the story is Jesus calling for rest and retreat, EVEN WHEN THERE WAS STILL WORK TO BE DONE.  He was going to take the disciples away for some rest and time alone in fellowship, even when there were people still hungry for his teachings.  Amazing!  I need to be reminded of that more often. 

The story gets better.  Mark says that Jesus was sailing along in his boat seeking said rest, when he saw the people running after him, starving for him.  Desperately seeking him.  And it says that he “had compassion for them, for they were like sheep without a shepherd.” (Mark 6:34) And Jesus, even in his seeking rest, allowed the Lord to work and to teach to multitudes of people!  I need to remember this too.  That even in my busy, scheduled day, I need to allow God to work in me and through me.  Even when I’m seeking rest.  And even when I’m doing schoolwork.  And even when I’m hanging out with friends. 

Goodness I have a lot to learn. 

But right now, I’m simply enjoying spending time reveling in the Glory and Greatness of My Creator.  He is beautiful and He is good and He is faithful.  And that, simply put, is enough. 

Now, back to homework and enjoying the beautiful day.  :)

Super Bowl Sunday!

It's Super Bowl Sunday - one of my favorite holidays ever!  Right behind Thanksgiving and Christmas, Super Bowl Sunday is most definitely on the list of top 5 favorite days of the year.

Why, you ask, do I enjoy watching very large, strong men in tights run up and down a field with a ball that isn't even round?  I have no earthly idea.

Why, you ask, do I sit glued to the TV, yelling at the players as though they can hear me?  Not a clue (it's just impulsive, I don't really think about it....).

Why, you ask, would I waste all this time watching games instead of doing things of value, like homework?  Because I love it!  It's just way too much fun to give up without a REALLY good reason.

So today I will sit, yell, eat chips and dip, cheer, jump up and down, and overall thoroughly enjoy myself.  Because after all, who doesn't love ridiculous sports?

P.S.  My pick?  GB. All the way.  :)

I Love Dogs (and Monkeys and Rats and All Other Animals)

So I've decided I'm going to be vegan. 


Maybe not permanently, but definitely for Lent.  I'm going to try it.  I'm doing it for a few reasons.  I love animals, and the more I learn (at the risk of sounding anti-American and communist), the more I dislike many aspects of Capitalism.  The idea of testing things on animals "because we can"and to avoid ridiculous litigiousness because people can't make enough money other ways disgusts me.  The idea of cramming millions of chickens in warehouses where they have their beaks cut off at a young age and where they walk around their entire lives in their own feces is horrendous.  I think there's a huge problem with the economical, ecological, and political implications of corporate food production, especially the meat industry.  It's healthier for the environment, and (if I do it right) healthier for me.  In Genesis, the one commandment God gave to Adam and Eve is to care for the earth.  And we are clearly not doing that.  And I am not doing that by supporting the industry with my money. 

But if I'm being honest, that's only a part of the reason.  Partly, I just really like the idea of a challenge.  I like entropy, I like chaos, and I like challenging and trying new things.  This is going to be a big challenge.  I like my meat.  I like my hamburgers.  But more than that, I love my milk.  My nutella, my cheese, my morning latte, my TOMS with leather insoles... so this is going to be a really big change.  It's going to take patience.  And forgiveness.  And self-control, and discipline, and commitment, endurance, thoughtfulness, dedication, self-awareness, prayer...

When I decided that I was really going to try this, I went on Amazon and ordered a few books about becoming Vegan.  I figured it'd be good to have a few starting points - some recipes, some advice from people who have been there, things to think about, how to make sure that I'm still getting all the vitamins I need, etc.  (That, and I tend to compulsively buy books.)  I got my first book tonight (The Complete Idiot's Guide to Vegan Living), and I started reading it.  As I started reading it, one of the things that kept cropping up was the idea that this is a transition not just in diet, but in lifestyle and in thinking about things.  The author kept insisting that this transition is hard, and that if I "slip" in my new eating habits, it's important not to beat myself up about it but to just forgive myself and move on.

Up until that moment, I hadn't thought about this as a spiritual experience.  I mean, I had in terms of the idea of giving [something] up for lent.  The idea is that whatever that [something] is, whenever I actively decide not to eat, drink, partake in, or whatever that [something] is, I'm reminded of the sacrifice Jesus made for us.  The idea that vegan living has a scriptural basis.  But not the actual transition itself.  But remember all those things I said this transition is going to take?  Yea, those are all actually things that God has been teaching and re-teaching me over the last semester.  And then God comes along and lays this whole vegan thing on my heart... 

God works in amazing and wonderful (and sometimes slightly intimidating) ways.  He is Faithful and He is Good, and I'm so excited to start this journey with Him.