March For Our Lives

 On Saturday March 24th, 2018, a student-organized ‘March For Our Lives’ event happened in Washington D.C. and around the United States in sister cities in the wake of the horrific school shooting that happened at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School on February 14, 2018. 

After experiencing another school shooting in our country, students of Stoneman Douglas created the #NeverAgain campaign. Because of the mass media attention, these Stoneman Douglas students were in the spotlight. In spite of their shock and grief, they became articulate, relentless activists against the hypocrisy of our elected officials and the NRA gun lobby. They expressed their frustration about how the government isn’t protecting our children with gun regulation laws. Stoneman Douglas survivor activists led the country in Washington DC with 800,000 protesters coming out to show their support.

Former President Obama said of these students, "You've helped awaken the conscience of the nation. Young people have helped lead all our great movements. How inspiring to see it again in so many smart, fearless students standing up for their right to be safe; marching and organizing to remake the world as it should be. We've been waiting for you. And we've got your backs."

I flew to Washington DC with my FL friend, Llora Wonder, to support the younger generation and anyone who wants responsible gun reform.

We took to the streets to express our collective consciousness: #Enough. 

These school shootings, and all gun violence, have been normalized. They shouldn’t be. Our schools should not be ‘hardened’ by arming more teachers or staff. This is NOT who we are as a country. 

March For Our Lives energized future voters to register. They want to hold politicians accountable (nationally and statewide) to bring about reasonable gun reform, and to get NRA gun lobby money out of politics. 

 The NRA is a lobbyist organization that has decided what the national narrative about safety in our schools will be by using their financial influence with Republican politicians. The next generation calls BS. 

Those that joined the Washington DC march, and sister marches all around the country, are concerned that the NRA lobby gets to determine what's best for our children and our schools. The NRA says our American schools and teachers and staff should be hardened with more guns. When did the Tobacco industry lobby get to decide what's best for our lungs?  

It's insane that there are no CDC studies on the effects of trauma (emotional, psychological, and physical) from gun violence. No CDC studies have been allowed or funded on behalf of children and teacher wellness and wellbeing.
However, 800,000 students, kids, parents, teachers, (even gun owners) packed Pennsylvania Ave to communicate with their presence that the NRA does not get a vote; they are not American constituents. 

My favorite part of the march was how students from every major school shooting were represented on stage at the march  (Chicago, Newtown, LA, Maryland, etc.). It was a powerful intersectional representation of diversity and unity. Black and Hispanic students were invited to share their stories of gun violence too. The students of Parkland are aware that they get more attention in the media because of their social economic status, and because they are white. They call BS. They are all united by the horror of gun violence. 

Just before it started, a student who came from Hartford University, 20-year-old James, looked around and said, “This is the largest pacifist rally.”

They took to the stage to tell America and politicians they will #VoteThemOut unless they give them the gun reform they demand. They are bold, brave, and believe in the power of WE the People. If there is any hope for our country, any hope to reduce school shootings and gun violence, it’s by the unified voices of Gen Z and young Millennials. Kids in hoodies are going to change the world. 

All of the kids that spoke on stage were the true celebrities. The crowd went crazier when Emma Gonzalez walked confidently to the podium then when Ariana Grande began to sing. Emma, one of the original Parkland survivors to speak out, used her words to call BS just days after the shooting; it became a battle cry. At the March For Our Lives, she used her silence to convey the time it took for the Parkland shooter to massacre 17 people she cared about. For 5-minutes she stared straight ahead. When I realized what she was doing, my heart sank. She was remembering. Tears rolled down her face. Never before has “a moment of silence” turned into 6-minutes and 20-seconds. Her eyes were fixed looking out to 800,000 people. It was on live TV. Silence. We held space. Some started to chant, “Never again. Never again” as if to energetically help Emma through. Emma did not break her gaze until the timer went off. It was one of the most poignant moments of the entire March.

There were other moments that stood out too. Sam Fuentes was wounded during the shooting. Still in pain, Sam gave her impassioned speech. You could see it coming. Emotional. Shock. Adrenaline. She threw up behind the podium. The crowd once again held her up with love and chants as she rallied. She came back to the microphone and laughed, “I just threw up on international television, and it feels great!” Her speech was just as powerful as the last, “Join us or be on the side of history who prioritized their guns over the lives of others.” Before she left the stage, she asked the crowd to sing Happy Birthday to Nick Dworet, one of the 17 Parkland victims gunned down by an AR-15. He was shot in front of Sam.  

It was not a party. It was a protest.

The Parkland survivors had so much love for each other. They had so much love for all those that joined in their fight to heal our country from gun violence. It was incredible all that they pulled off since February 14^th. But they are social media experts. This was a real-time civics lesson. They used their constitutional right to Free Speech. 

The MFOL kids did their homework with statistics and excellent, persuasive video presentations. They are credible voices as survivors of gun violence. They have a clear sense of self-definition and purpose-highly intelligent and wise beyond their years. Nobody needs to convince them they deserve to be heard. And they are resistant to any rigid, controlling paradigms of authority. Get out of their way or they will Tweet you into oblivion. 

I support the younger generation and anyone who wants responsible gun reform. And even though they are as ‘mad as hell and not going to take it anymore’ they are reasonable and respectful. Young voices of unspeakable trauma demanding politicians like Senator Marco Rubio from Florida to do their jobs or get voted out. 

Something has shifted. Can you feel it? They are done hiding in closets or behind desks for the NRA or Washington D.C. 

I'm putting my energies into their causes; they are the future. This isn't a partisan issue to them. This younger generation doesn't remember James Brady. They may or may not know much about Gabby Gifford. They haven't watched as long as I have to see the painstakingly slow task of one person's single gun victimization try to change laws over many administrations. But they have grown up doing gun-shooting drills when I grew up doing tornado drills. 

 Marches are just engaged citizens coming together in community to express and demand what needs to change in our democracy. I march for responsible gun reform. I march for Columbine, Newtown, Parkland, for all the towns that experience unnecessary gun violence. I march for any town my grandchildren now live. I march for teachers to be teachers. 

As optimistic and motivational as the MFOL was for the potential for real gun reform, legislation takes time. In the meantime, there will be another school shooting. This will happen again. And the MFOL kids will battle-ready the world to speak out, march, and vote again until the politicians get it right.

Yolanda Renee King, the only granddaughter of Martin Luther King Jr, ended the MFOL with these words, “My grandfather had a dream that his four little children would not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character. I have a dream that enough is enough. That this should be a gun-free world. Period.” Of course, it reminded us all of the famous “I Have A Dream Speech.” Yolanda then led the crowd in a chant: “Spread the word. Have you heard? All across the nation, we are going to be a great generation.”  Out of the mouth of babes.

The Marches are over. And now we Vote!

For 'such a time as this', honor them with action. Love on them now more then ever. Just like we thank volunteers, soldiers, teachers, or officers for their service, thank all of our next generation voters and remind them they are the future. Help these kids get to the polls. 

#HonorThemWithAction

1-Year Vegan-versary

Today is my 1-year Vegan Anniversary.  Ha! And they said it couldn’t be done! If you watched my yo-yo diet history, honestly, that’s a fair statement. ;-) Trying to stay on a diet, or even a new eating lifestyle, is virtually impossible without a retraining of your brain and all your cultural conditioning. The statistics are not encouraging: 95% of people who lose weight gain it back. Which explains my health crisis. 

I read an article by Paul Bragg when I was 18 on the benefits of clean water, sunshine, eating fruits and veggies with live enzymes, exercise, and ACV (Apple Cider Vinegar) long before it was mainstream.  Something inside of me was intuitively curious about eating so closely connected to the earth. To get more information, I wrote to Shape Magazine (we didn’t have email or the internet back then). They sent a brochure of books by Paul Bragg. I bought them all.

I always wanted to be vegan. Something inside of me felt bad about all the animals abused so I could eat cheeseburgers, beer brats, and yogurt. I used to love cows when I was in my 20s. Even had a little cow collection. I’d beep the horn or wave to them when I drove past a field. Then I’d feel incredibly guilty for eating a juicy steak. Rich was the only person who really knew my secret desire to be vegan. Knowing my radical tendencies, there were a few things Rich prayed I’d never do: 1) Ask him to train with me to run a marathon; 2) Go vegan. 

I had a few failed attempts at being vegan. Before I declared I was going to go vegan in July of 2016, I had a lot of pushback from friends or family (mostly mocking or questioning how I’d survive). I wondered what was wrong with me that I couldn’t live out my convictions and my intuitive eating desire. My body always felt fantastic when I ate vegan (even if it was only for a week or two). How could I love animals so much and go against my inner principle of Ahimsa (non-harming)? I admired vegans for eating that way and sticking to their convictions. It took a health crisis for me to break free from my fears of what others think, a culture of unhealthy eating, and emotionally conditioned eating. It was like when I had to go gray because I was allergic to hair dye. It always takes something drastic to move me out of my fearful, complacent self. But a year ago, Rich sat with me in shock after my doctor told me the results of a CT scan. I had severe non-alcoholic fatty liver disease. I was told that I was high risk for a stroke or heart attack. I was pre-diabetic. My fat burning metabolism no longer worked. And my kidneys were not working well because my liver was so damaged. My only hope to reverse the liver and kidney damage was to commit to a whole food plant based no oil eating (WFPBNO) diet.

I need to thank a few people for making being a vegan a whole year possible: Rich, our friends and family, and Chuck Underwood from Brand New Vegan.

Rich:
This guy amazes me. He rolls with all my crazy ideas and adventures. He’s been my partner in crime in bad yo-yo- dieting. We’ve struggled with emotional and celebratory eating for decades. He’s also been my food drug enabler when I’ve gone through hard times. He hates to see me sad and would come home with Twinkies and baloney bandwiches and Sara Lee Cheesecake (all on the same day). I blame my hips on him; he brought me food instead of jewelry or puppies.

This time around, my sweet hubby was dedicated to helping me heal my liver through a whole food plant based diet. This was the guy who hates veggies and fruit. He never ate them unless it was chopped up into micro size pieces or I’d put it in a smoothie without his knowledge. 

But this time was different. We’d pick out recipes and give them a try. If they were good, they went into our favorite vegan meals recipe folder.  Rich never faltered. He watched all the health documentaries with me on Netflix or ON DEMAND. I’ve been telling him for years, but he finally saw how most of our health issues in our country were because of our poor diet. He’d tell you that he was inspired to take care of his health too as a 61-year-old guy. He’s been blessed with good genes and no health issues so far. But he’s buying his time. He knows all that bad eating was going to catch up with him in a decade. Rich’s favorite food was cheese pizza and eggs and bacon every morning. He was floored to learn that 1 slice of cheese is equal to 8 slices of bacon in saturated fat content. I used to tease him and say, “The first heart attack is gonna change you.” He feared what his arteries may look like on the inside and never looked back. And he makes a killer BLT with rice paper as the bacon. Oh yeah, we’re that radical. 

 I’ve never been so proud of Rich. And I don’t have to feel guilty because I make him eat this way. He eats and cooks vegan because he wants to. He’s a good vegan chef too. When he’s out of town, he eats vegan. That’s is hard to do if you’re traveling. (Kudos to you, Hon for learning how to accept fewer options and eat simply while on the road.) Rich has made conscious choices to learn all he could about how our planet is impacted and soils and water reserves depleted by eating meat products 3x a day. And learning why eating a whole food plant based diet can heal the body (and heal my body). I have a wonderful eating partner. And when we cheat now, we cheat vegan (something that’s more processed or sugary or oily).

The first few months we went vegan I’d ask, “If I died tomorrow would you go back to eating meat and meat products 3x a day.” He said, “Definitely!” His taste buds had not fully changed yet. He had not become consciously competent at how to eat vegan in all situations. He had not yet lost 30lbs. Now, without prompting, he tells about every other day, “I love eating vegan.” I’m so glad. Thank you, Rich for being my constant soul mate on this amazing journey during our one and only life.  Thank you for caring more about my health and helping me heal (emotionally, physically, and spiritually). I love you for so many reasons.   

Friends and family:
I know we’re the weird friends and family members (for more reasons then eating vegan). But you have been so gracious to support us. When we’ve come over, instead of panicking about what to feed us, some of you have looked up something vegan to cook or just brought out the veggies and fruit trays. Some of you felt nervous about meal planning. So we took the burden away; you allowed us to bring all the ingredients and let us prepare a vegan meal in your home. Thank you. We love doing that. You’ve offered to go to vegan restaurants (to give it a try). Nobody has gotten defensive as we explain our reasons why we have to eat this way. Everyone has been curious and supportive. And if you eat meat or meat products in front of us, we don’t get offended or grossed out. We won’t throw blood on your leather shoes like PETA or call you a baby calf killer. We each have our own health journey. We honor you. Thank you for honoring us.

Chuck Underwood at Brand New Vegan:
I found Brand New Vegan on Facebook. Chuck and I were in the same McDougall Friends Group (a bunch of plant based, no oil, starch eaters). Chuck had been a whole food plant based no oil comfort food blogger. He would post all of his recipes in our closed FB group. Because I had to give up oil (because it’s processed, and fat was now in my liver cells), I had NO IDEA how to sustain cooking vegan without oil. Thankfully, I found this group and Brand New Vegan. Chuck is a regular guy who mastered how to cook vegan comfort food that Rich and I love. He’s so helpful too. If I had questions, Chuck would answer them. He had been a part-time food blogger. This past year he went full time. His food blog is so helpful. He’s a great writer too. (I have food and writers envy.) He has his own FB page and private community. I feel like we should invite him to Thanksgiving or something. I hope to meet Chuck someday because he probably saved my life. Without Brand New Vegan’s encouragement and step-by-step meals, I don’t think I would have been able to stay vegan for a year. Thank you Chuck for following your passion. http://www.brandnewvegan.com  

People ask me, is it hard to give up meat and dairy? Not really? I miss a few things, but Brand New Vegan makes a yummy brat and gyro that does the trick. I had the hardest time giving up fish. I loved sushi. We watched A Plastic Ocean Documentary and that helped me do it for the planet. I still go to sushi restaurants at least once a week. I just eat veggie sushi now. And once in a while, I’ll cheat and have a mushroom veggie sushi with truffle oil. YUM! 

When Rich watched The Last Heart Attack by Dr. Sanjay Gupta, it changed his life. You can't unsee what you've learned. If you love animals and want to understand how the food industry has impacted these creatures and our planet, there are fascinating, informative documentaries. And don’t feel like you have to change your lifestyle overnight. I gave myself a year to transition. Vegan eating isn't for everyone. But making conscious choices that serve the planet is for everyone. 

 
I’m vocal about things that matter to me on Facebook. My page. My opinions. My digital record of what mattered to me long after I’m gone. I’ve been cautious about posting any vegan benefits or animal cruelty facts or memes. I don’t want to make people feel guilty for not being vegan; eating is so personal. However, I wonder if I should educate on the subject? Before I went vegan, I had no idea what food was doing to damage my body. I had no idea how mass industries were affecting our planet: soil, air, water. I talk to people all the time that are struggling with inflammation, joint pain, or other health issues. I wish people would know how eating meat and dairy 3 times a day is truly affecting their health and the planet. They have options. And if you're like me, about to be put on meds or given a drastic diagnosis, it's possible to heal your body eating whole food plant based. 

So this one time, I’m going to share what I’ve learned. I’ll leave it up to you to do your own research. 

Even though it took a shocking health crisis for me to face the silent killer of liver disease, I’ve always said, ‘The Body Wants to Heal.’ I believe that to the core of my being. All my numbers came down within 4 months. I lost about 30-lbs too. I’m no longer pre-diabetic. Inflammation is gone. We can’t control a lot of outcomes in life. However, we can control what we eat and how we consciously interact with everyone and everything on the planet. 

This has been a fun year of learning new things and trusting my body to heal. And for the first time in my life, I feel like I’m living in alignment. My next goal: 2-years vegan. Make some easy how-to vegan recipes on YouTube. 

IF you too feel intuitively curious to heal your body, lessen animal abuse, and heal our planet, these are the documentaries that we watched, books we read, and restaurants that we went to below:

The Last Heart Attack. 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tnj0nmtwVbI

Netflix:

What the Health (2017)

Forks Over Knives (2011)

Earthlings (2005)

Cowspiracy: The Sustainability Secret (2014)

Speciesism: The Movie (2013)

Vegucated (2011)

PlantPure Nation (2015)

Food Choices (2016)

The Engine 2 Kitchen Rescue (2011)

Live and Let Live (2013)

Hungry for Change (2012)

A Plastic Ocean (2016)

Food Matters (2008)

Food Inc (2008)

Why NO OIL: Processed Oil damages your endothelial cells, the protective cells that line all your blood vessels and are responsible for producing nitric oxide which moves blood and nutrients through your blood vessels and blood flow. (*ahem* nitric oxide...this has to do with blood flow baby). 😉  At a dense 120 calories per Tbsp, and with NO NUTRITIONAL VALUE, there is no reason to include any oils in my diet. Healthy fats, yes...but those are found in plant foods, and are abundant in nuts, seeds, avocados, and olives. 

Books:
The Cheese Trap        (Dr. Neal Bernard MD)

How Not To Die        (Dr. Michael Greger MD)
The Starch Solution  (Dr. John McDougall MD)

The China Study       (Dr. T. Colin Campbell PhD, Thomas Campbell MD)

Prevent and Reverse Heart Disease (Dr. Cadwell Essalstyn MD)

   

Happy Cow: App to show where the closest vegan or vegan option restaurants.

Favorite FL Restaurants:
Darbster’s—West Palm Beach
Sammy’s Mediterranean—Vero Beach
Ethos—Winter Park
Cider Press Café—St. Pete
Rawk Star Café—Oldsmar
Ozona Pizza—Ozona
Casa Tina—Dunedin

Pisces Sushi—Dunedin
Ohana Café—Dunedin

CA:
Sanctuary in Berkley—great owners. GREAT food. I’m jealous Rich can eat there while in CA on business a few times a year. Best nut-based cheese.

Philly:
Vedge—BEST Vegan Restaurant we’ve been to yet (small portions though). I’d fly there tomorrow. Just to eat there.  BEST vegetable based cheese fondue.

IL:
Purple Sprout Café-Wheeling

Poop Happens

Woke up to Buddha crying. It was 5am. Rich was out of town for the night on business. I jumped up and got him out of his crate. I assumed he needed to go outside to go potty. 

I didn’t even get my shoes on before he shit something that resembled black tar, all over the new carpet. 

It smelled like death and diapers.

#$%*, @#$@, $%^&#*! “Oh poor baby, you okay?” @#$%!  “No, no, NO! Not there too! Not on the carpet!!” #@^*! 

There have been some recent coyote sightings in our area. I’ve been nervous about going outside in the dark. But now I have to; I have a sick dog. I’m in my pajamas. It’s eerie quiet out and spooky. Buddha is squirting gawd-knows-what in the dark grass. I’m on high alert. There is a man parked in his car on the side of the road. I hold my phone up like I’m talking to someone (I actually had 911 on speed dial).

Forty-five minutes later, Buddha was finished squirting. It was still dark.

I gagged my way through scooping up poop stained carpet. That took two hours on my hands and knees. Miraculously, it worked. Secret formula: wipe up all poop. Dawn dish soap scrub. Roll of paper towels to soak up damp carpet. Vinegar. Baking soda--yes, I was amused by the science project I was creating. Wait until it dries. Scrape up excess dried baking soda with a handy queen of hearts card onto a paper plate.  Vacuum. When daylight comes and the stores open, go to Bed Bath & Beyond. Don’t forget your coupon. Buy a hand held carpet cleaner. Steam the rest of anything that is attached to the carpet fibers. Pray it works.  

By mid-day, I took Buddha for a long walk because he was staring at me disapprovingly. I can’t take it when he looks all Morgan Freedman god-like, knowing all my weaknesses. I assumed he was hungry by his sideways glances at the pantry. I didn’t want to feed him because I wasn’t sure if he was still sick? And I was going to at least wait until my carpet dried. 

Sick dogs can be like sick kids. You gotta wait it out, intuitively, watching them carefully. Often what they have can pass in 24hrs.

It was a beautiful day here in Florida. I distracted Buddha on our walk. I was feeling calmer and more peaceful after my early morning poop-alarm. I just got done looking up to the heavens and saying out loud, “How does it get any better than this?” Buddha slowed down and stopped to puke yellow bile on the concrete. I'll be damn, it does get better. At least he didn't puke on my carpet!