Repeat the Sounding Joy.

My dear readers,

One of my favorite moments from one of my favorite holiday films - The Family Stone - is when Sarah Jessica Parker and Luke Wilson are cuddled in bed, looking up at the ceiling, and she starts humming "Joy to the World." She lands on the phrase in the lyrics, 

REPEAT THE SOUNDING JOY

REPEAT THE SOUNDING JOY

REPEAT, REPEAT

THE SOUNDING JOY.

Then Luke Wilson says quietly to himself, "Repeat the sounding joy. Hmm."

I love that moment so much.

At Farm Sanctuary's Orland, CA shelter. Photo © Connie Pugh.

Mostly because, that's been the theme running inside of me for much of 2012. I've been outwardly living my inner joy for a while now, but after reading The Secret this past week (I know, I know, how did I let it pass me by for almost seven years before picking it up?), I'm totally convinced that living joyfully is absolutely the right way to go. A few things I took away from the book: 

Our thoughts are extremely powerful in helping to shape our 
world, 

Focusing and obsessing on what we don't want will just continue to bring it to us, and even more importantly, will keep us from bringing in what we do want, 

Living in gratitude, actively choosing to be happy now, and having complete faith in our pursuits - that's the key to growing and lasting success.

One of my favorite quotes from Rhonda Byrne's book is by Lisa Nichols:

"Everything that you want - all the joy, love, abundance, prosperity, bliss - it's there, ready for you to grab ahold of it. And you've got to get hungry for it. You've got to be intentional. And when you become intentional and on fire for what you want, the Universe will deliver every single thing you've been wanting. Recognize the beautiful and wonderful things around you, and bless and praise them. And on the other side, the things that aren't currently working the way you want them to work, don't spend your energy faulting or complaining. Embrace everything that you want so you can get more of it."

Now, I didn't read Rhonda's book lightly - I know that anything worthwhile takes a little time and rarely, if ever, comes the way we expect it would. But in this past year, a few magical occurrences have transpired, and the outcome of them has far exceeded what I was hoping for when I planted the seed of the goal in my heart. One came in the form of falling head over heels in love with the prospect of producing a feature film. And it's just the beginning. 

So, how does all of this apply to vegan living and our pursuit to create a more compassionate world?

Well...

I love you, Fred.

What if, instead of admonishing, criticizing, or judging someone for their non-vegan choices, we praised them for any small step they take in the right direction?

What if, instead of simply preaching the benefits of vegan living, we actively practice living the benefits and be a beautiful example to those around us?

What if, instead of only focusing our thoughts on the pain, misery, and abuse occurring at this very moment for the billions of animals in this country and beyond, we focus intently on creating positive change for them, we focus intently on the farmed animal rescues that do occur, we focus intently on our vegan movement growing person by person, we focus intently on meat consumption dwindling (it's already gone down 12% in the last five years!), and we live in that focus?

What if.

This coming year, I encourage you, my beautiful readers, every single day to choose joy. Choose positive thinking over negative. Choose to put out oodles of bliss-filled vibes out there for our world and the animals, and with that, take compassionate steps toward the kind of world you want. Which bring to mind a few quotes:

If we could change ourselves, the tendencies in the world would also change. As a man changes his own nature, so does the attitude of the world change towards him. ... We need not wait to see what others do. -Gandhi

That is happiness; to be dissolved into something complete and great.
- Willa Cather

Gratitude always comes into play; research shows that people are happier if they are grateful for the positive things in their lives, rather than worrying about what might be missing.
― Dan Buettner

I learned this, at least, by my experiment: that if one advances confidently in the direction of his dreams, and endeavors to live the life which he has imagined, he will meet with a success unexpected in common hours.- Henry David Thoreau

Steve with a rescued hen at Farm Sanctuary's Animal Acres.

To you all - to you wonderful, compassionate readers - at the very end of the day, pretty pretty please - 

Praise yourself for any single step YOU are taking to live compassionately. Because each and every one of you are HEROES for the animals. No matter how small your action.

So get out there, encourage someone, hug an animal friend, and be a shining example of what it really means to live in Ahimsa, which is to truly live vegan. 

Thank you for being so supportive, loving, and loyal with your readership this year. Here's to a magical 2013! 

Love and vegan kisses,

Lindsay, Steve, and the rest of the Kiss Me, I'm Vegan family

A Thought As You Go Through Your Day.

Animal Acres lovin' with Fred. Photo © Joanna Wilson Photography.

"Ethical veganism results in a profound 

revolution within the individual; a complete 

rejection of the paradigm of oppression and 

violence that she has been taught from 

childhood to accept as the natural order. It 

changes her life and the lives of those with 

whom she shares this vision of nonviolence. 

Ethical veganism is anything but passive; on 

the contrary, it is the active refusal to 

cooperate with injustice."

 - Gary L. Francione

WHAT ARE SOME QUOTES ABOUT VEGANISM YOU LOVE?

IT GETS BETTER - A Post by Lindsey Frost.

Hello lovelies! 

Lindsey on her wedding day - what a beautiful lady!

Below, please enjoy a post from my friend Lindsey Frost from hew new blog, Nooch and Nuptials. A dedicated vegan, animal activist, and newly married lady, Lindsey is a necessary emerging voice in the world of vegan blogging. I am honored to have been a part of Lindsey's journey towards compassion, and I hope that this post will inspire you to keep going on your own. Take it away, Lindsey!

IT GETS BETTER 

by Lindsey Frost of Nooch and Nuptials

I think we need an "It Gets Better" campaign for vegetarians and vegans.  

Parents giving you hell about your veg lifestyle?  

It gets better.  

Friends mocking your soy consumption?  

It gets better.  

Complete strangers in the grocery store asking you about protein?  

Nope, sorry, that one's not going anywhere.

Life as a new vegetarian or vegan can be extraordinarily lonely, particularly in places outside of major metropolitan areas where the lifestyle is less understood.  Newbies are often (rightly!) passionate about sharing their new lifestyle, but many find that their enthusiasm falls of deaf ears.  It can be isolating.

When I first began leaning into a vegan lifestyle, I was braced for the worst.  You see, I had been the worst. When my friend Lindsay of Kiss Me, I'm Vegan! fame went vegan years ago, I was a jerk.  As the established host and chef for our group of friends, I had a hard time adjusting to the change.  It felt like a rejection of everything I knew - Southern food and hospitality, served with loads of butter and bacon.  Lindsay's change was scary for me, and I reacted terribly.  It's something I still feel very guilty about.

Karma, as it turns out, is a bitch.  Though I thought I was prepared to deal with the backlash when I went vegan, the fervor of some of the negative reactions from friends and family was still shocking and painful.  But you know what?  It does get better.  Over time, the people around you adjust or they don't.  You learn to live with both types, celebrating those who have embraced your changes and trying your best to love the others where they are. 

Struggling with reactions to your new lifestyle?  Here are my suggestions for getting through:

• Find Your Community: I don't know any other vegans in Chattanooga beyond my quasi-vegan parents (a story for another day), but I feel like I know thousands of vegans across the country thanks to the internet.  Blogs, discussion boards, Facebook groups - they all help.  Need some suggestions for online resources?  E-mail me!  Find people who share your values, even if they're hundreds of miles away.  

• Find Your Inspiration: I am extraordinarily lucky to call Steven Todd Smith of Ahimsa Life Coaching a dear friend.  Steve and I met almost a decade ago in New York, and even though he's now in Los Angeles and I'm in Chattanooga, he's still pushing me and inspiring me.  If I'm having a rough patch, I know I can pick up the phone and call Steve for a little veggie inspiration.  Find a person who can help you back up when you fall, and you'll be a much, much happier vegan.  

• Find Your Heroes:  My husband is an omnivore, but he's my hero.  He supports me in everything I do, gladly devours the products of my culinary adventures, and shuts down the haters.  It's crazy sexy.   A couple of nights ago, we were at dinner with family and friends when a friend of my mom's starting asking question after question about what I eat, what I don't eat, where I get my protein, what I do about calcium, etc. etc.  When the questioning started to get mean and defensive, the husband shut it down with his trademark ease and humor.  He's never cruel or angry, but he always, always protects his family.  Find someone who will stand up for you even if they don't agree with you.  

• Find Your Voice: When I first went veg, I attempted to respond to every comment or criticism with humor.  Eventually though, self-deprecating became self-defeating, and I realized that laughing everything off wasn't getting me very far in changing hearts and minds.  I then tried on intellectual vegan, scary vegan, angry vegan, and sad vegan.  None of it worked, and I just got more and more frustrated.  At last, I recalled the words of a very, very wise man.  The Reverend Forrest Church advised his congregants to "want what you have, do what you can, and be who you are."  My philosophy on sharing my lifestyle others follows a similar model: share with them what you know, feed them all you can, and love them where they are.  Find your way of telling, showing, and loving others.  

To learn more about Lindsey's blog, visit www.noochandnuptials.blogspot.com.