Parent/Teacher Conferences Slash Confessional

I feel the need to give a status report on my veganism slash atone for my sins. So here's how its been going.

For those who didn't see the post, around October 1st, after 14ish years of the vegetarian lifestyle, I decided its time to be a vegan. Let me explain.

My becoming a vegetarian was a very natural occurence for me and has always made sense. It began with a compassion for animals and not being able to stomach their gruesome deaths. Over time, my reasons because more educated (although the emotional appeals have always been there).

Gradually, I began to adopt a "cruelty free" lifestyle. I began to make sure that my purses and coats were not made out of any animal products. I began to check labels for that "not tested on animals" sign. I started drinking soy, rice, and almond milk instead of cow's milk.

And now it seems that the transition is almost complete. But here's where the confession part comes in--

I am a convenience vegan.

What I mean by that is when I am home, cooking food I've bought, eating meals I've thoughtfully put together, the vegan thing is a cinch. But when I'm on the road, on vacation, visiting family . . . it seems to go out the window. I gravitate towards my vegetarian stand-bys (i.e. Jimmy John's #6), telling myself it's just "too difficult" to make it work on the road.

Is it really too difficult? Naw. I just need to put in the bit of extra planning to find options that are vegan.

Whew! I feel better. Confession over.

So maybe you are a meat eater for life, but maybe there are some parts of the vegan lifestyle that you could do. How about only buying products that are not tested on animals? Or saying no to fur? Or volunteering at a local animal shelter? Just some ideas for ya. Trust me, I'm working on my own!