Non-resolutions

So this funny thing happens around this time of the year, where all of my hipster friends (whether they realize it, or not) announce something along the lines of "I'm not really one for resolutions, but..." and then follow what are, actually, resolutions, although they have different names for them.  Pledge, promise, goal, hope, wish, plan... whatever it is, I don't think any of us can really avoid that feeling that comes over us right around the 1st of January.  We reflect on our last year, we see what made us happy and what made us unhappy, and we purposefully/inadvertently/subconsciously try to make changes based on those experiences.

First, I said I wasn't going to make resolutions.  Then I said I was going to make selfish resolution that I knew I could keep (continue smoking, eat candy while watching movies on Netflix, cuddle with my cat and dog).  But I don't know, I woke up on January first, and... I wanted to do yoga.  So I did, I did yoga three mornings in a row, and it sucked, and it made me feel nauseated.  So I though, okay, I'll keep doing yoga, but I need to eat a better breakfast first.  So then, suddenly, I was eating a better breakfast and doing yoga.  I though, if I eat a better breakfast, I should eat better food throughout the whole day, then I'll probably feel better.  So I did, I ate a better dinner.  I wanted better ingredients, so I started looking for places to buy meat that didn't do really awful things to their animals.  (Did you know that even organic farms don't have very high standards for the treatment of their animals?  That "free range" really doesn't mean much, in the modern world?  Yeah, I figured that out just recently...)  And, I found them!  I found a guy who has really happy pigs on a pretty, green, family-run pig farm.  I also found a guy on Craigslist who sells eggs from his backyard chickens.  Damn right.

So this "no resolutions" thing?  It's kind of snow-balled into me eating healthier, consuming smarter, doing yoga, smoking only 4-5 cigarettes a day, and now I'm planning on having a "vegan week" -- one week out of every month where I cut out not only meat, but also dairy.  (I'm not going to cut out honey though, because I honestly just think that's ridiculous.  Someone go ahead and tell me it isn't... but I really think it is.)

So on that note... dum-dah-dah-dum-dum-dah-dum...

Vegan Yum! board on Pinterest

of course, a Pinterest board.  Go ahead and laugh at how all of the recipes on the board right now are from the same blog (Happy Healthy Life Vegan Blog) -- the girl knows what she's doing.

Have more suggestions?  Let me know!

I was vegan for a couple years during high school, but unfortunately it was a really unhealthy time for me -- rather than making up for what my diet was missing (protein, vitamins, stuff like that), I only concentrated on omitting things that were "bad" -- this time around, I hope I will feel a lot more energized, lose some weight, and get a litte more creative in the kitchen.

What I am and what I ain't

So near the end of the year, a lot of people start talking about resolutions.  I'm not big on resolutions, for a lot of reasons.  For one, I think like gift-giving, it's not the kind of thing you should only do at certain times of the year.  If you want or need to make changes in your life, the best time for that is NOW, whenever "now" might be.  Also, I happen to think most people don't keep their resolutions.  Too much pressure?  Maybe that's part of it.

I'm nowhere near perfect, but I know who I am... and who I ain't.  Are there things I'd like to change?  Sure!  But I'm not about to set myself up for disaster just because it's the first of January.

You know what else comes around this time of year?  My birthday!!  I haven't figured out yet if I'm excited or wary about this particular birthday.  I was really excited, last year, to turn 30, it felt like an exciting milestone, and my Mom and one of my best friends were here in Chicago to celebrate with me.  Somehow, 31 feels a little different... not necessarily bad, but not really too exciting, either.

One of the things I ain't, is a shopper.  I'm not a girly-girl, I get frustrated when I'm in a clothing store for more than half an hour, I don't even like trying things on -- I just guess at my size, buy it if I really want it, and get on to the next thing.

But today, I shopped.

I've been waiting years (literally years) for these boots to go on sale.  Today I walked into the store, and they were finally in my price range -- let's be honest, the very high end of my price range -- and I just couldn't walk out without them.  There was one pair left, in exactly my size.  Happy birthday to me!

So to all of you looking forward to (hopefully not dreading) the New Year celebrations -- cheers!!  I hope you have a fabulous night, whatever you do.  Chances are good I'll be at home, eating a shrimp platter.  I'll be wearing my boots, even if I'm in my pajamas.  'Cause I've got style like that.