About two years ago, someone I consider a friend (a new friend albeit, but long-time acquaintance) accused me of secretly eating meat and denying it.  I scoffed.  Anyone who knows me – at all – knows I have not eaten any semblance of a land animal since 1996.  When she persisted she has seen me eat a sausage, I was livid.

The truth is she was hammered at the party where she says she witnessed me devour the piggy.  I know the party, I remember the instance, and others back me up:  she saw me eat a soy brat.  She refuses to believe it wasn’t pork, and made it quite obvious she gloats at the opportunity to rip me apart a little bit.  This explains why we had been long time acquaintances and not friends:  I had always felt she wanted chances to tear me down.

I hashed all my frustration out on my MySpace blog back then, but since then, I have a better grip on the situation.  After all, “friend” or not, my ultimate lesson is to remember I have no control over what other people choose to think or say about me.  I can only decide I know the truth and move on.

Why do I share this story?

Marc pointed out to me last night that I am a meat-pusher.  Though I will not eat it and witness for what going veg can do for you and how misunderstood the diet is, I apparently do not embrace that same wonderful philosophy when I feed others.

I recently returned to Raleigh to straddle the state as I seek my next career move.  After living solely in Asheville for several months with Marc living alone in our Raleigh apartment, we are finally under the same roof again.  Hence, I have been happily cooking dinner for Marc in the evenings.

Then, Marc pointed out he has eaten significantly more meat since I returned than he did for the period I was gone.

What?!

As he pointed out, when he fixes his own dinner, his concern was not to incorporate a meat.  His focus was always to create a healthy dinner.  A few nights a week, that would also include chicken or deer, but most nights it was a vegetable combo.

Ahhh… student in now teacher.

I had to realize that all my years of vegetarianism, and yet, I was afraid that he would not consider dinner a complete meal unless I added a meat to it.

Now, I know better.  So tonight, he ate salad, wild rice with a great herb seasoning, and quesadillas.

Think about what is important to you and what life you want your decisions to support.  Then, think about if you are living your life consistently.  The truth may surprise you.

Now you have a starting place to move forward… and forget what anyone else has to say about it!  You can NOT please everyone, so live to fully please yourself.  Then you draw people to you who appreciate that and do the same.

Sustainably yours ~ Ashley Sue