The Inevitable Changing of Traditions & Landscapes
Last Thanksgiving we pivoted away from the traditional arc of the day, and instead went out into a soft rain and roamed The Rand Tract. It was the first time we’d considered doing anything other than what was expected, but surrounding ourselves with the preciousness of this planet felt so delightful (and appropriate for a day of giving thanks to these stolen lands) that we decided to hike again this year. I dare say we’ve found a new tradition.
Our decision obviously comes with much pushback, consternation, and requests for us to “make exceptions” to our firm “No thank you, we can’t/won’t sit around slaughtered animals and stolen calf milk anymore. It is heartbreakingly regressive for all three of us given the compassionate reasons not to, the healthful reasons not to, and the planetary imperatives of pivoting our meals as well”, and every request for us to table that purpose makes the heart wail that folks can’t see those choices directly affect the future of our son (and millions of other species beyond the ones on plates) and they could just as easily pivot forward instead of asking us to move backward. Again: The United Nations, WHO, our leading (Nobel Winning) scientists and environmentalists, have been harking for years that humanity needs to shift plant-based if we are to preserve any manner of livable environment for our kin and the species we share this planet with. We stand steadfastly firm that some souls need to hold the line of forward movement, and it sure as heck isn’t easy, but yesterday there was deep peace in that decision.
Since we did Rand last year, we decided to do one of our favorite spots on this planet: Sodus Point along Lake Ontario and its ever-changing/crumbling shoreline. At first glance it may appear too rough and destructive, but change can be rattling and it can also be beautiful. Though mighty trees have fallen, new growth has sprouted up. Where the sandy cliffs have withered to dust, our son finds great joy in pretending he’s a Tusken Raider. And as we sat around a fire Ian had made from back-packed-in pallet scraps, we gobbled up scrumptious sandwiches & some chocolate covered granola bars Q made, watched Trumpeter Swans glide around in the water around us, and felt our hearts full of deep gratitude for this beautiful earth and an equally deep passion to continue doing all we can to protect it.
Continue for: some photos of a non-traditional Thanksgiving, the visual glory & peace of Sodus Point, campfire feasting, perpetual planetary imperatives (and resources), and souls I’m dearly grateful for.
Sodus Point with our cub.
We’d packed along these granola bars Q made. <3
And I made us sandwiches from some arugula/sunflower-seed pesto (I wanted to pack as many greens onto the sandwiches as possible, and this was a whim but one heck of a good idea! <3), Pumfu (pumkin seed “meat” <—the only ingredient is pumpkin seeds), and PMA plant-based “Blue”. We ended up dipping that delectable sandwich in some spicy tomato sauce, with much rejoicing. :-D
As usual: it was a zero-waste affair. Cloth napkins (they’ve been kicking around for years and have come on many journeys), reusable containers & bags, and good ol’ packageless fruit. :-)
Best Thanksgiving meal I’ve ever had. It may’ve just been “nuts, seeds, grains, and plants” but it fueled us up for 4 hours of hiking around tricky terrain.
The sweet heart-swell of my soulmate gently cleaning his son’s face with a lake-damp napkin.
Q said his favorite part was pretending he was a Tusken Raider, and though we didn’t get a photo of that, this was me having a good laugh at his silly noises.
My favorite part (aside from the souls & view) was the sight of these two Trumpeter Swans who glided around in the lake the whole time we were there.
And another favorite was scrambling out to the edge of this estuary, breathing in soft lake air, and watching Ian and Q hop around on mini islands.
Long-legged Leap
There’s much beauty in change.
And we capped the night watching our favorite Thanksgiving movie: the 1991 classic “Dutch”. It’s good for belly-laughs and remembering to appreciate what you have and that there’s always room for growing forward.
And though I may be daily grateful for Ian & Q and make much photographic fuss about it :-), I am equally grateful for Crystal (as seen by the many odes I’ve written about her :-D) who’s been a close confident and ever-changing growth partner with me for now almost a decade, and is one of my daily contacts (<—if you follow her on FB, you should def check out her amazing Thanksgiving spread).
She’s also one of my personal heroes because she took up the torch of plant-based forward movement with nary a howl (and she once “loved” dairy and meat just as much as I did), she did so on a single-mother-salary supporting her 3 teenage children, and she’s always crafting up new delicious & creative offerings. <3
Words of illumination and inspiration from world-renowned cardiologist Dr Dean Ornish from his book “Undo It”.
And some more mental rattling from “We Are The Weather”
What’s the most impactful thing you can do as an individual to help your kin, community, millions of species, and planet? Transition as plant-based as possible.🌎♥️
Why? Plant-Based foods are environmentally imperative 🌎. They also promote ideal health💪 (which takes stress off our overburdened health care system), are inexpensive🙌, delicious🤤, & compassionate. 💕
Why imperative, though? 🤔We’re approaching (& have crossed) climate tipping points that will doom our kin & millions of other species. 😱📣Reducing/eliminating animal products is the *most impactful thing an individual can do* to prevent worse. 🌎🔥
Why? Animal Agriculture creates more emissions than the entire transportation sector combined, it’s tied to water waste/loss/pollution (<-- freshwater is our most precious resource💧), land loss/deforestation (<-- exacerbates climate change by reducing our ability to sequester carbon🔥🌎), ocean acidification (<-- FYI 50-85% of earth’s oxygen originates from oceanic plankton🌊) & vast species loss/extinction/suffering💔📣🌎
Plus, consuming animal products is tied to increased risk of cardiovascular disease❤️🩹, diabetes👎, cancer👎, and chronic disease👎; whereas Plant-Based feasting is linked to preventing/reversing some of our most common diseases (<— like cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and cancer); plus it promotes ideal health & robust strength (ie Olympians, Weightlifters, Endurance Athletes are thriving via PBWFs too). 🎉🙌♥️
What organizations are promoting plant-based diets for best health and environmental stability? National Institutes of Health, Mayo Clinic, the United Nations, Harvard School of Health, American Heart Association, American College of Cardiology, American Cancer Society, American Diabetes Association, The American Academy of Pediatrics, National Kidney Foundation, even the Parkinson’s Foundation.
We’re all overwhelmed in one way or another, but for the sake of our kin (and the millions of species we share this planet with) we need to start pivoting forward. As someone who once rarely ate green things & used to eat animal products at every meal, I can assure you that is possible, affordable, enjoyable, & purposeful to pivot Plant-Based. In fact, our whole family is now healthier/stronger than ever. 🙌♥️
Anecdotally, our son had failure-to-thrive, was also plagued with perpetual ear-infections/sinus-infections, and had an omnipresent runny nose. What was he eating? Grass-fed milk, organic/antibiotic-free/grass-fed/local meats, eggs from organic-fed/well-loved chickens from a neighbor, every meal came with vegetables, and we limited junkfood. He was healed via a plant-based diet: he’s launched out of that diagnosis and the last time he had a sinus-infection (or was sick at all) was in 2019 when he had some cheese at a school Christmas party. Before shifting to PBWF’s he was sick every month, and how he’s a robust, vital, thriving kiddo. 🙌🎉♥️
If you think any of the above sounds over-reached/absurd/impossible, please go read the links above. I understand the inclination to hackle-raise (<—because I was once totally there) but the science is clear: any step we make forward is imperative (<—and again “STEPS” is the focus. Don’t leap, just start making steps!). It’s as simple as starting with one meal a week and growing from there.💕
We have the ability (deliciously, healthfully, kindly, inexpensively) to *preserve/protect* the planet we share with millions of species & our kin. How are we going to use that power today?✌️🤟🖖
