In August of last year I decided to start eliminating meat from my diet. I won't go into all the reasons here. I'll save all the details for another posting. In short, I looked at my dog and realized what I was doing to other creatures, and family history of various maladies. These things were my motivators. That said...
One thing I'm finding becoming vegetarian/vegan (I'm still deciding which one works best for me) is the incredible range of colors, textures, and tastes there are. The grocery where I shop has a massive fruit and produce section, almost a third of the store! Sometimes I just stand there and marvel at all the beautiful variety and richness. One of my favorite things to do is buy vegetables or fruit I've not had before. Bringing it home and trying some new recipe with it is a wonderful adventure.
And then I pass the meat section and it's all one color. Red. And sometimes you can see the blood in the tray the meat is sitting in. I realized the other day that beef basically has one flavor. One can jazz it up with different flavorings or cooking techniques, but in the end it's still just beef. Same with chicken. There's just not enough variety to marvel at or stimulate my senses in the way all the different vegetables and fruit do.
I attended a combination housewarming and birthday party for my French Bulldog Rufus last night (he just turned 5!) It was a marvelous time with dear friends who haven't seen each other in at least a year, some longer, due to COVID. The feeling in the room was one of a collective exhale. Everyone was thrilled to be there and be in each other's presence once again. Riding that wave of frivolity and gratitude for friends and extended family I had a lovely raspberry edible and drank at least two beers too many.
I didn't wake up hung over. At my age that kind of "contact sport" drinking is best left to the younger folks. I enjoy my adult beverages as much as the next responsible adult and I'm always conscious of my limit. I'm also very much a dedicated gym enthusiast and nothing interrupts my workout schedule. So this morning I was there when they opened at 8am just like every other Sunday.
As many know, I've spent the last several years on a self-discovery quest, both with a therapist and of my own efforts (reading books on Buddhism and mindfulness, meditating, paying attention to dreams, etc, etc.) So this morning at the gym the one thought that kept running in my head was "respect." Maybe others have this ability too, but I'm very conscious of my body and it's components. They all feel to me like individuals who are working together for a common goal. This morning I was very conscious of my liver and my kidneys. And this is where the respect comes in. Did I respect them by my behavior last night? Probably not. I personify them and think things like my liver is saying, "WHOA! Here comes MORE alcohol?!" And every time I went to the bathroom I imagined my kidneys saying, "Damn. MORE fluid to get rid of?! What the hell is this guy trying to do to us?!"
Now is this actually true? Of course not. But it gives me a way to keep the notion of respecting my body in the forefront of my thinking. The respect for my body extends also to the kinds of foods I eat. I'm very an "as natural as possible" kind of food purchaser. My refrigerator is full of fresh fruits and vegetables. I eat chicken and seafood mostly and try to keep my beef to a minimum, and I try to balance my meals with more vegetables than anything (Broccoli is my FAVORITE!) As I'm eating I practice what is called "mindful eating." I thought only I knew about mindful eating then discovered it's an actual thing! As I'm eating I imagine all the digestive elements swinging into action to help my body. My chewing and saliva rallying to break that food down. My esophagus muscles helping to move it all down to my stomach. My stomach saying things like, "Ooooo! Asparagus! We LOVE asparagus!" My intestines thanking all the components before it helping to deliver nutrients that can be distributed out through my body. And my body picking up those nutrients and saying, "Here you go guys! Let's put this stuff to good use!"
It all fits into the notion of respect. When I do these things I feel like all the components of my body are thanking me and encouraging me to continue respecting them. It brings me a very pleasant serenity that lasts the entire day.
