Vegetarian Escapades

I’m not a vegetarian. But, I was once.

Brief history: After realizing for months that I need to eat more vegetables, I finally decided to take action and do something about it. Last weekend, I tossed out the idea to my roommate, Heinz, that we should remove meat from our diets during the workweek (Monday-Friday’s lunch). After ironically talking about it over a meal of delicious pork chops, he consented and the experiment was on. We agreed to try it for a month.

But the first week was easily filled with the life lessons I needed to know.

The first thing you should know about being a vegetarian is that you should never become one during the pandemonium of an E. coli outbreak. Germany has been fighting a deadly outbreak for the past few weeks and over 30 people have been killed due to eating contaminated vegetables. Leafy greens, asparagus, and bean sprouts, etc. were potential villains causing profound intestinal unhappiness or even death. So, I scaled back my veggie consumption and I didn’t even eat a salad all week. How does a vegetarian not eat a salad in 5 days?! So, instead of the colorful display I expected from a vegetarian diet, white rice and black beans proved to be the bland staple.

I also learned that there are always exceptions. I started out passionate to complete my experiment and eat great food like my vegetarian friends do. By Monday afternoon, my passion was waning, and I began contemplating exceptions to the vegetarian diet. Are eggs are ok? What about fish? If fish is ok, than all seafood should be fine, right? What about just a little bit meat on top of a slice of cheese pizza? By Tuesday’s lunch, I gave in to all of these exceptions except the pizza one. I see it as a minor compromise.

And compromise is what turns conflict into success. Obviously.

Throughout the week, Heinz and I kept reminding each other that Friday’s meat-filled dinner was just 76 hours away. 31 hours away. 15 hours away. These motivational moments failed to ease my disappointment as I walked by succulent BBQ ribs and filled my plate with rice and beans in the cafeteria on my Army post.

We also joked (rather seriously) that on the weekends, we would have a meat only diet to ensure the universe’s equilibrium was well cared for.

At the end of the week, Heinz and I broke our fast with a cheap schnitzel that only cost about three bucks. It was glorious. Meat is amazing. It’s that simple. I thank God for giving us the ability and permission to kill animals and receive delectable energy and nutrients from them. It’s a great gift.

Upon re-realizing this amazing fact and contemplating on the struggles of lesson # 1, Heinz and I decided to forgo the rest of the experiment. We’ve since eaten lots of meat. Every meal has been scrumptious and worthy of my consumption. It’s a good life.

But, I’ll always look back at these days in Germany and remember when I was a vegetarian. Perhaps I’ll get some credit from my true vegetarian friends or ridiculed by my friends who know better, but regardless, I’ll remember that these were the days when I abstained from something I love, and in the end realized that I loved it so much more.

(Note: The picture shows my lunch on Saturday at a local wine festival. Clearly, the vegetarian era is over.)

Note to You

I was recently back in America for a bit and several people mentioned that they missed my blog. I honestly didn’t realize that I hadn’t written a new entry since February. That’s insane.

I’m sorry about that. The past few months were pretty cruel to me and my writing suffered. But, I’m now recommitted to writing and engaging the blogosphere. So, bear with me as I get a grip on a new perspective (of Smith) and re-energize my adventure.

And, thank you for your love and support. Just knowing that a few people out there read this thing make it worthwhile to write.

Now, I'm going to try round two of sleeping (for more, see previous post).

Sleeping Miracle

Sleep is an awesome thing, and I’m not good at it. I’ve spent many hours laying pointlessly awake in my bed wondering when the miracle of sleep would happen for me. Of course, it happens often enough, but not as easily as I wish.

If you think about it, sleep really is somewhat miraculous. I have no idea what happens or how it happens. One minute I’m awake, and the next minute I’m awake eight hours later. Time flies by when you are sleeping and you really have no control. It just happens. And then, it just ends. Somehow you miraculously float into a temporary oblivion. It’s ridiculous.

Now, I’m sure there is an answer on Wikipedia or WebMD, but I’ve never looked it up. I’m content just loving the mystery of sleep.

But, I hate not being able to sleep. Sleepless nights are some of the worst things I deal with on a regular basis. Nowadays, I can literally feel stress coarse through my body when I realize that I’ve been awake for two hours, and that I won’t be able to get six hours of sleep before the morning wakeup.

Some people can sleep so easily though. My roommate, Heinz, can sleep easier than anybody I know. He falls asleep on most car trips. He often dozes off after reading only two pages of a book! He goes to sleep quickly at night. I’m envious.

Tonight, I can’t sleep. Heinz is still awake, but when he goes to bed, he’ll be sleeping in a matter of minutes. When I’m done typing, I’ll saunter back to my room and lie there wondering when the miracle will seize me.