Day 8: "This is not the end. It is not even the beginning of the end. But it is, perhaps, the end of the beginning" -Winston Churchill

I've been thinking about what to write for this last post for a while, and as I sit here, I realize that I still don't really know what to say. But maybe that's for the better.

I began this blog saying that I've often hear vegan's associated with any term that has a negative connotation.
I began this blog surrounded by assumptions that vegan's were misunderstood, psychotic, confusing, complex, and difficult.
But it was a good thing, because I'm all of those things too.

Last night, I purposely saved this post to be written during the last hour of the day.
But I stopped halfway through.

I could sit here and talk about what foods I liked and what foods I didn't like; what was the hardest thing to give up and what felt like I was never meant to eat it in the first place.
But I'm not going to do that.
I don't think that was the objective of my challenge.
My objective was to immerse myself in something entirely foreign to me, and learn to appreciate it, even if it may not be my new lifestyle.
I mean, after all, isn't that the objective of life in general?
To attempt new styles, or new points of view just to experience them, even if you know that it's not what you're meant to be?
That's what I did this week.
I tried something.

Beginnings are a funny thing for me. For my entire life, I've had this belief that nothing in my life ever ends.
I believe that every situation that has occured in my life will never come to an end; a closing statement will never be reached, nor will a door shut.
So, this challenge was more like a situation for me.
Yesterday may have been my last day as a loyal vegan through and through, but I know that in years to come I'll find myself choosing a glass of almond milk over regular milk, or ordering vegetable dumplings instead of an egg roll.

What so many people fail to see about vegan's is how selfless they are.
Veganism is about being selfless, it's about sacrificing, and it's about being satisfied with the choices you've made when everyone else is choosing what's "normal."
These people are some of the most compassionate people in the world.
The people who come so short of understanding them could never amount to their level of compassion.
I may not be continuing with faithful veganism, but my respect for their lifestyle and mentality is immense.

In the movie Eat Pray Love (I advise reading the book before watching the movie), Elizabeth Gilbert (a woman whom I believe may be the most influential feminist of our century) travels to Italy, India, and Indonesia for one year, temporarily breaking all ties with her life in America.
She does it for herself, she does it for others, and she does it for personal fulfillment.
No, she's not a vegan.
But her mentality is the same as any vegan on the planet.
Vegan's live their life for themselves, for the good of others, and for personal fulfillment...for satisfaction that is beyond words. It's internal satisfaction on all levels of life.
Their lives, just like Elizabeth Gilbert's, is selfless and selfish at the same time.
As they give back to themselves, they give back to the world.
This is why I admire vegans so much.
We should all live our lives that way.

My favorite word in Italian is "attraversiamo."
It's not just because the word includes every beautiful sound of the Italian language: the relaxing "ahh," the rolling "r," the soothing "s," and the fancy sound that the "o" adds at the end.
It's because the word means "let's cross over."
In technical terms, the word is used when people are saying "let's cross the street."
So yes, in technicality, my favorite Italian word means "let's cross the street."
But I like to think of "let's cross over" as walking to another side, trying out something new, bringing fresh experiences into your life while still holding onto the past.
So, why don't we all do that.
Maybe you'll try some vegan cuisine.
Or maybe you'll do something entirely different.
Just try something.
It will be worth it.

I'm not going to end this post.
I'm just going to say "till next time."

*VEGAN THOUGHT OF THE DAY: The secret to a rich life is to have more beginnings than endings. Attraversiamo.