Plus One.
It has most certainly been a while, friends. Seven months to be exact.
But a lingering, little voice inside seems to keep whispering to me, beckoning me back to writing a blog post on here.
"Lindsay, write to the people!"
And tonight, I'm listening.
On my mind at the moment - growth. The growth a person does in trying times. The growth a person experiences in the happiest of moments. The stretching and growing we do as we navigate this lifelong journey. For me, living as an openhearted ethical vegan has had its fair share of bumps along the way. While my resolve and daily commitment has never wavered, the heaviness of life has managed, at times, to challenge my belief in the possibility of worldwide change. I've also found myself focused so much on my art that I tend to forget to give time to causes that I hold so close to my heart - the animal rescue organizations, vegan advocacy groups, and the other amazing heroes of our movement who remind me to carry on carrying on. But that is life, I think. To ebb and flow, to allow certain parts of you to play solo. To forget, and then to remember.
A lot has changed for this vegan lady.
A few things that have stayed the same: I'm still living in Los Angeles living my dream of being a film and television actress and filmmaker. I've still got my rescued cat Vicki by my side. And I'm still quite possibly the happiest vegan you may ever meet (going on six and a half years now!). A few things that have changed: As I wrote in my 2014 post, while Steve and I remain friends, we are no longer together romantically. It has been a transformational year on my own, and one that brought me to the realization that I want to start a family, to find a partner I love, and to carry on with my dreams beside that person and family. What I ended up finding was even more than I bargained for - a loving, sweet, funny, and kind man, his beautiful, beautiful daughter, and one more recent addition...
When I was a little girl, in response to the classic question, "What do you want to be when you grow up?" I listed my reply in this order: 1) Artist, 2) Teacher, and 3) Mommy. Becoming a mama has been a lifelong dream of mine, and one that I had been pushing aside so that I could prioritize a growing creative career. But life has a very funny way of showing up when you least expect it, and here we are. Honestly, I couldn't ask for better timing in the long run. Because having lived vegan for as long as I have has shaped me into learning the kind of mama I really want to be. And thankfully, my partner, animation artist Matt Garofalo, is just about the most supportive person I could ever ask for. Even though he's not entirely vegan, he's 100% vegan friendly and open to raising a vegan kiddo.
What does this means for you, my kiss-worthy readers? Well, it means I want to start writing it all down and sharing it with you. The whole thing. Of course, I will be sure to have my vegan lifestyle at the heart of each post, but I also feel like it might be nice to leave a little extra piece of me with you here as well. So I'll be getting personal as I go. One thing you can expect soon - a rundown of my experience taking Matt and his daughter to The Gentle Barn in Santa Clarita tomorrow. Beyond that, we will just have to see where the inspiration takes me.
Alright, I think I'll get back to finishing "Skinny Bitch: Bun in the Oven." It's fabulous so far, BTW.
I leave you with a quote that I will be carrying alongside me as a new mama:
"Teaching a child not to step on a caterpillar is as valuable to the child as it is to the caterpillar." - Bradley Miller
Love and Vegan Kisses,
Linds
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