animals in the news

I find myself grieving as I go through this process. I didn't realize that meat and animal products were such an integral part of my diet and my life. Yet I feel much surer about my decision today. I am noticing animals more in the news. There was a story about 1,500 hundreds pigs or so that burned in a fire today in a single barn. I just kept thinking about how they had all of those pigs in one place and wondered if they ever saw the light of day. And now they were gone, seen as a financial loss rather than as life loss. We put stickers on our windows so fire fighters know that we have pets inside, yet when it herd animal that dies, we equate it in terms of dollars and cents.

Then there was story about how President Bush pardoned 2 turkeys. I see how we make light of the plight of these animals yet at some level that story suggests that we understand what we are doing. It is making it easier for me to choose plant based foods these past few days. I feel more connected to all living beings with my decision.

I go out to eat for the first time with my family this Friday. I am nervous and have checked into a couple of restaurants to see how they prepare certain things. I discovered that something as simple as a veggie burger actually contains animal products so it is not as easy it as it looks. But, I can keep it simple by going for the company, ordering a salad with just veggies and I can even carry something like garbanzo beans with me for added protein. There are ways of doing this and still enjoying meals with others especially meat eaters. Say a few prayers for me.