scribblings from an idealistic dreamer: On Shift: Acceptance

Thursday, April 4, 2013

On Shift: Acceptance

(I'm working as a paramedic now so any "On Shift" headings are from quotes heard or things that happened- you guessed it- on shift.)

"I came by am-ba-lance
and I leave by am-ba-lance
and that's the way it be."

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Things I'd like to do:

build a cob house
pick up kitesurfing
Do a 10-day juice reboot
learn to windsurf
learn to surf
buy a stand up paddle board
take a several week bicycle trip
learn how to ride a motercylce
work as crew on a Maine windjammer for a summer
complete an Ironman triathlon
learn to fly a plane
be an emergency relief worker
get a german shepherd puppy
walk across the country
design a house that actually gets built
go to Hawaii
live outdoors
write a book
become a vegan chef
live overseas for a year- at least
refurbish a mansion and open it for everyone to live in peacefully together
make a difference.

Things I have done:

became a lifeguard- spring '08
shaved my head in solidarity with those with cancer- 9-4-10
got Vibram Five Fingers- Dec. '10
went vegan- Jan. '11
paddleboarded to the breakwall and back standing up the whole time w/o falling in- 7-16-11
did a four day juice reboot- Oct. '11 (and a seven day one in spring '12)
became an EMT-Basic- Dec. '11
Ate a raw vegan diet- Dec. '12
became a paramedic- Dec. '12
finished a sprint triathlon- July '13
became a firefighter- Nov. '13
passed the firefighter agility test in under 4:30 (4:23!)- Feb.16 '14

Why Vegan?

I've been vegan since January of 2011 and I've gotten several questions about why I chose to pursue that, so I thought I'd try to answer them here.

To begin with, the idea of meat being, well, meat has always bothered me. Ever since I was two and first figured out where meat came from, I have been vegetarian on and off. (Yes, age two... I have always been a bit strong-willed when I make up my mind about something!) That first vegetarian stint lasted about three months, but then I was won over by a Burger King hamburger. And so began my dichotomy between liking the smell and taste of meat and being repulsed by the thought of where my dinner came from (especially after working with cadavers as a pre-med student... we look pretty similar to that stuff in the meat isle, guys!). But the times of vegetarianism became generally shorter as I trained myself not to think as much about where the food was from and also learned to avoid certain textures and presentations (like when they serve an animal whole, and it just keeps staring at you from the plate?? Yeah, makings for a vegetarian meal there!).

As many of you know, I am very interested in the sport of triathlon and particularly in the Ironman distance. As I read about several different Ironman triathletes, I kept noticing a common theme popping up: they were vegan. Now this is not to say that all triathletes are vegan- they're not. But for some reason, without me purposely searching them out, I kept coming across those that were.

So, my curiosity being piqued, I decided to do a bit of a personal experiment. For the month of December 2010, I gave up milk. I even still ate cheese, just stayed away from the milk you drink. And the weirdest thing happened. Before that, my ears always itched (like the inner ear canal that joins to your throat). I thought it was allergy related, but I figured it was all my other allergies (grass, trees, dust, mold, etc.). But when I stopped drinking milk, my ears stopped itching! That in and of itself, made me think that being vegan might be something worth pursuing more.

In January of 2011, I went full vegan. That jump was way too fast for what my body could handle well and now I recommend people make the transition much more gradually. For about the first two months, I had HORRIBLE stomach pain. Usually I would be fine walking into the cafeteria (I was in college at the time), but by the time I walked out I would be nearly doubled over in pain and the only thing I could do would be to go back to the dorm and curl up in a fetal position on my bed for about an hour and a half and then I'd be okay again. It doesn't have to be like that! Learn from my mistake!

Now that I am adjusted to being vegan, though, I really do feel a lot better. And as I've continued to read and research the vegan diet, I've just become more and more convinced that it is the healthiest fuel we can give our bodies.

So there you go! I'm vegetarian for my personal conscience and vegan for health reasons.

Hope that helps answer some of your questions! :)

Pages- Some of you have asked to see some of the older prayers/songs that I wrote (arr. by year)

Thursday, April 4, 2013

On Shift: Acceptance

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