A New Year

This year has been another adventure.  I changed my major at the last minute, turned 21, moved into a new apartment and celebrated my very first one year relationship anniversary (trust me, this is a big deal).  It's been full of growing, changing and learning how to be the best I can be.

Challenges are always facing happiness.  Financial instability and depression can really get in the way of life satisfaction.  Fortunately I have figured out ways to combat these problems.  I've got a new job and I've learned how to deal with my feelings of self-loathing.  My life is far better now than it was a year ago.

This year I want to focus on my yoga practice.  I love going to classes but I've never had a solid, regular home practice and I would like to develop that.  Not only does it provide excellent physical activity but also gives an opportunity to ground, to balance, to love.  Teaching elementary school isn't in the cards anymore, but I would like to become a yoga instructor in the future.  I want to share what I have learned, to give back.  This requires learning how to become disciplined enough to have a regular practice.

I hope this will help my discipline in other areas of my life.  We shall see.

I just want to be home

It's been a while.

Once I made it through the treacherous finals week, I took a good four day vacation to the mountains.  Skiing and enjoying a cabin in the woods was just what the doctor ordered--Until I couldn't stand being away from home.

It's so odd how vacations don't turn out the way we hope.  There is an unfortunate "grass is always greener" issue that tends to come up, where once you get where you want you realize that you would just much rather be at home.  I love the  mountains.  I love beaches.  I love going places.  But sometimes my tiny apartment feels much better, no matter how much I want to leave town.

So I try to remain content wherever I am.  I just find it harder than I imagined.

Celebrating memories

Yesterday I got started on cookie baking, beginning with a German/Mennonite cookie called pfeffernusse, or peppernuts.  They are delightful little spice cookies that go excellent with tea or coffee.  I grew up with these during Christmas and many variations were shared within our church, as well as several baking parties for the Mennonite Country Auction every Fall.

This is one thing I love about the holidays.  So much of what we do as adults is influenced by the traditions we experienced in our childhood.  Regardless of how some may try to escape their background, it's nearly impossible to leave behind.  Especially when it comes to cookies.  Because the sense of smell is so strong, it connects us to many specific memories.  There have been times at work when a dish was made that could only be described as smelling like "Christmas at Grandma's."

Rather than running from memories, I like to run to them and recreate happy holidays in the past with my cooking.  I plan on creating just such memories for my own children.  I will celebrate where I've come from.


Here is the link for the pfeffernusse recipe I used if you're interested.  For vegans out there, Earth Balance can be replaced for the shortening, egg replacer for the egg and it still turns out great.  It does have honey.

Gift wrapping doesn't have to be new

This year we're doing an alternative on wrapping Christmas presents.  While my family has had it's years of "brown paper packages tied up with string," we're going one step further.  Newspaper.

There are stacks of newspapers wandering all over campus.  The major companies give the University free copies on a regular basis along with our own mediocre campus publication.  When there is so much free, unused paper lying around, there isn't any point in purchasing more paper just for the sake of looking more festive.  That is my environmentally friendly plan for gifts this year.

Besides, who decides what looks "festive" anyway?

Veganism as a Religion pt. 2

Yesterday while discussing how my diet has been changing with someone, I stated that I have been a bad vegan lately.  I also added that it's kind of like saying you're being a "bad Christian."  I think I may have offended (and I may be doing so right now), so I would like to expound on that statement.    I have made statements about the subject before, but I would like to continue.

When one follows a certain set of beliefs, be it a religion, a dietary choice or any sort of lifestyle that includes specifics on what is appropriate to do i.e. rules.  When you're breaking those appropriate behaviors you're being a bad .  I think what is taken offense here is when one equates dietary decisions with religious beliefs (even though diet is an extremely important element within several religions, including Judaism).  However, it follows the same principles.  Regulators of food production have what's called "Standards of Identity" for most products such as ice cream.  In order for ice cream to be ice cream, it has to have a certain volume of milk, sugar, etc.  If you see yourself as being of a certain religion and have in your mind the "Standards of Identity" for a follower of that religion and you aren't adhering to those, you no longer qualify as a good ________.  The same goes for diet.  If you aren't following the rules of the diet, you don't belong in that category.  You are now something else.

As Christians, I know we forget.  We forget that it isn't about the rules.  There is such a fine line between legalism and "sinning so that grace may abound."  It's difficult to not let your "Standard of Identity" be influenced by rules, regulations and outside opinions.  There's too much emphasis on expectations put on yourself, expectations put upon by others.

Even though I have slowly added to my dairy intake, I still call myself Vegan.  Not because I necessarily follow the stringency of these rules, but because I continue to be influenced by the philosophy of one.  My heart is still there.

And that is all that matters.