Happiness

Today I read an article about happiness. It was about three young women searching the country for the secrets to happiness. In such a dark time and place, happiness is at stake. So, each day, I try and consume happiness. I try and spread happiness. Hoping to take your mind of off your worries, the election, stress, or anything negative, I'm sharing with my ten keys of happiness.

1) Take a deep breath, put on that stunning smile, and remind yourself what a wonderful world this is. There are so many things to worry about, I won't lie to you. But there are so many more things that make me happy. Let those things shine the brightest.

2) Sing like no one's listening. Roll down your windows, crank up that radio, and let your hair down!

3) Surround yourself with your favorite people. No one should make you feel low, unwanted, or unloved. Choose to be with people that lift you up.

4) Step into the great outdoors. There is something so comforting, so peaceful, and so serene about the outdoors. Whether I'm out for a run in my neighbor, biking through the local forest with friends, or doing yoga in the grass - being outside is where I feel at peace.

5) Fuel yourself with goodness. Whip up a colorful smoothie bowl. Bake yourself some chocolate chip cookies. Concoct a vegan confetti cake for your neighbor. Try a new recipe. Give yourself goodness!

6) Unleash your musical side. Grab a guitar or teach yourself a simple song on the piano. Jot down those lyrics that came to you in the shower. Write yourself a song, something that makes you happy and eases your worries, to sing to yourself when you've lost your way.

7) Have faith. Faith doesn't have to be in a God. It doesn't have to be someone who you talk to when you're in need. It can be in the universe, in yourself. In the love of the world. Have faith that you will make it. You will thrive.

8) Don't take yourself too seriously. Laugh off your mistakes. Accept constructive criticism. You can always be kinder, you can always be more accepting. Life is for living, not for perfection.

9) You're never too old to play. Take the dog to the park for a game of fetch. Go practice your favorite sport at the gym. Take that dusty board game off the shelf for a fun night with friends. Let yourself lose.

10) Practice self-care. You are enough. You are beautiful. You are strong and you are everything you need to be. Fuel your happiness with healthy goodness - but treat yourself to a cookie every once in a while... and don't regret it. Get active, sweat out your stresses, and always take time for sleep and relaxation. You are your own best friend.

I hope that whatever happens in your life, you can take a deep breath and remember that happiness will come. 

86%

What does the number 86 mean to you? Is it the age of your grandma? The last two digits of the year you were born? Does it remind you of your favorite football player? Does it reflect the future of America? For me it does.

Up until 2016, I never cared about politics. I zoned out during and after my father's long democratic rants about opposing candidates. The most exciting it got for me was the Obama family's announcement of their new dog - Sunny - who was soon to accompany Bo in the White House. Country music let me feel like a proud, patriotic American year-round, the kind who waved their flag on the Fourth of July under a rain of colorful fireworks. I ate apple pie (with vegan crusts, of course), felt safety under the leadership of President Obama - whom my parents instilled a majority of their trust in - and never worried about the future of our government. Of my country.

But, that was a time that I didn't worry about the Presidential Election of 2016.

I had never cried at the words of a Presidential candidate. I never felt such a strong of evil resonating from a single individual. I had never shuddered at someone's words in such a way, I had never cringed as they spewed insults and inappropriate words with such hateful intent. I had never been so scared to approach November 8.

86% is the likelihood of the Democratic nominee winning the Presidential Election. 86% is good, but 86% is not definite. 86% still leaves possibility. It still leaves fear. 86% is not good enough. 86% isn't safe.

With veganism, I never thought of it as a personal choice. I have always thought of it as the difference between right and wrong. The difference between peace and war.

I come from a family that welcomes diversity, accepts sexualities, embraces equal opportunities for all genders, and encourages kind words. Racism and sexism hurt me. I feel. I feel for the people who fear for their lives and their well-beings because of the potential of the Presidential Election. Both candidates have their flaws, but one of them is so wrong, I feel a fear unlike anything I've felt before. What will I do if my friends can't go to school with me because of where they were born? What will I do if the leader of my country sees me and other women as an object of his manipulation? What will I do if the reality of climate change is denied?

I don't have to say the names. I come from a place of hope and excitement for my future. But, suddenly I'm scared. Nobody is perfect. But there is someone who is wrong. When I speak of evil, I speak of violence and hatred. I speak of the words that have been shouted and claimed to be true during the Presidential Debates. Am I too young to worry about politics? To check the election news everyday after school? Maybe - maybe not. But I am too young to have my future ruined. I am too scared. I have too many plans, too many opportunities, too many things in store. I wish I could vote, but I can't. I have to trust the adults in my country to make the right choice. I don't know why I wrote this post or how it will change anything. But, I hope it will. 86% is not enough. 

If The World Went Vegan...

I don't know a whole lot of vegans. I only know three other vegans in my whole city - I only talk to one on a regular basis. I only know two vegan adults, apart from the Instagram-famous chefs I follow. I've only been to three restaurants in my whole life and one vegan festival. For people like myself, a vegan future is the only possible solution to all the world's problems.

When I think of a vegan world, I think of smiling faces (human and non-human) and peace. Lots and lots of peace. People might fight over the last Oreo (yes, they're vegan...) or the last baked kale chip. People might argue about which vegan idol would win a fight - Wacka Flocka Flame or Liam Hemsworth. But I believe that the root of all evil, is the idea of killing. Of taking someone's life to benefit your own. To prove your worthiness. To prove your power.

Veganism isn't just taking animals off the menu and avoiding leather like the plague. Veganism is the motive for deeper thinking, beyond our plates and food systems. It's about collaboration, heroism, love, peace, empathy, and compassion. In my future posts, I want to explore my thoughts, ideas, worries, hopes, dreams, and struggles to survive in an omnivore world - and thrive in a vegan world. What would you do if the world went vegan?