Let’s be kind. Let’s be more than kind

A_sojourner is a mother, a health care provider and a runner. She has been running since she was 10 years old and running outdoors makes her happy. She told Meatless Movement that her good cholesterol (HDL) went from 40 to 85 after becoming vegetarian.

Please tell us more about yourself

I am from the Midwestern U.S. (the heart of meat 🥩 country!). I have been vegan/vegetarian for 10 years.

How have you embraced changes you never dreamt of? How have you opened your heart to new ways of living or loving?
a__sojourner

People have been telling me my whole life that I’m weird or different. Honestly, I have learned that the so-called “weird ones” are actually the normal ones….The ones with the most compassion, the most creativity, and the most capacity to understand what lies beyond the realm of our five senses.

We’re in it for the long run
a__sojourner

I love running.

The beauty about running is that what others do does not matter; we only compete against ourselves.

I love that long distance running is a lot like life: Our true character is revealed when things fall apart, when life gets ugly. I hope that I can be the kind of person who keeps it together when things get tough.

I love running at night. Unfortunately, there are not many times or places in which women feel the liberty to run at night, but I am thankful for those rare times that the night air touches my face and my legs propel me along quiet roads. Somehow the darkness shuts out everything but the essentials: breath and life and movement…It erases age and time and all we have left is the beating of our hearts.

The world is smaller than we realize and that we are connected by more than we thought:
a__sojourner

Even with all the craziness, the sorrow, & the unrest, we can find joy in that which we have often overlooked: the movement of our bodies, the sun touching our skin, raindrops on our lips, the sound of laughter from those who we love most, the way our feet make patterns in the fresh snow…and because of this, we begin to understand that the minuscule blessings, the day-in and day-out routines…they are the greatest blessings of them all.

We all want to be loved, we all want to have human connections, and we are all struggling to make our ways in this world. I awoke this morning with so much love for everyone. Let’s do what we can to help one another. Never underestimate the power of one person and one act of love; this is how we start a ripple that brings about waves of change.

Becoming a vegetarian

A challenge I have faced is my family (parents, etc) do not approve of this lifestyle. I do not talk about it to them.

A funny story is I did not tell my mom I was vegetarian (we live far from one another so it’s easier to avoid discussing since we don’t eat together often). I knew if she knew, she would be telling me I look pale and “weak-eyed”. About three years in she said “you look so good and your skin and eyes look so healthy”. I was like 👍🏽🤣 She would have never said that if she had known I was not eating meat or any other animal products at the time.

And if nothing is working out for you, you can still LOVE. If you open your heart and let the love flow, your blessings will come. I promise. Even if it’s the blessing of peace, that is more precious than gold which perishes.
a__sojourner

I feel wonderful about this lifestyle. I pass 10-20 cows in my neighborhood everyday because we live on land that is a free roaming range. They are such precious and beautiful animals and it makes me sad that they live their lives in complete service to humans. I always say if it moves, humans think they are supposed to kill it! So sad.

How can we be vessels for change? How can we smooth the untamed?
a__sojourner

How can we help this world? We feel so insignificant and powerless at times. We cannot stop the war, on our own. We cannot stop suffering in animals, children, or anyone else with our two hands and our limited funds. This is what we can do: We can love our neighbors. We can be kind to every individual, even when we do not agree with or understand their choices. We can love our own children. We can choose to raise them with morals, ethics, and hearts filled with love.

You matter. Your life has a purpose.

Running on Real Food
a__sojourner

Change your mindset. It is not easy but it is possible. Food is not your enemy. YOU are not your enemy. Start with allowing yourself some grace, then listen to your body

To anyone just beginning, I recommend you get meatless alternatives to add to your normal dishes such as lasagne or spaghetti, to ease the transition. I recommend you get your labs checked to make sure you are not iron deficient and add a B12 supplement to your diet.

Great vegan/vegetarian cuisines are Greek, Indian, and Mexican food (the latter is better to make at home to avoid lard).

Find yourself, or you will spend your life waiting for others to make you happy
a__sojourner

Do what you can. It’s a process. You are perfect just the way you are. Our bodies go through changes like the seasons. Let yourself open like a flower…they always know when it’s time to bloom.

You focus on what YOU can do TODAY. It’s by little steps in the right direction that we change our lives. Let’s keep trying.