Flash forward to the other night. I was looking for a ring and came across my space-age brooch. I laughed out loud, seeing it in a whole new light! I couldn’t believe I hadn’t made the connection before.
This is what becoming vegan did to me. Things I had viewed or thought of in a certain way suddenly looked completely different! Early on, I noticed that I opted to carefully capture and release a bug outside, rather than squash it on my floor. This vegan vision extended to my own belongings, too. For example, my old consignment bargains I had proudly discovered and subsequently worn: vintage El Rey cowboy boots and a crazy-soft black leather jacket! Then, there were miscellaneous items such as fun bacon and eggs socks, a “hamburger” tin I’ve owned since childhood, and all kinds of sushi stuff (part of my former sushi collection). It seemed that everywhere I looked, I saw something old with new eyes.
I’ve been vegan for a few years, and I am still discovering things in my house. Just the other night, I pulled out a set of handmade dinner plates I had fallen in love with while living in France. Despite not being much of a meat eater, I had to have these plates by an artist I adored. They featured well known dishes like Coq Au Vin and Duck a l’Orange. I stared long and hard at each plate. I felt awful and tried to be kind to my former self, rather than beat myself up for supporting the concept of eating animals.
In the process of becoming VEGANIZED, I developed VEGAN EYES. Have you had similar enlightening experiences? If so, I’d love to hear from you! And if you’d like to see more of what I see, check out my Instagram Highlights section called Vegan Eyes.