Day one of my month of being a Vegetarian that is. For those
closest to me, you know that the month of June is my month to be Vegetarian.
For those of you reading this who do not know me......well now you know!
So why June as opposed to any other month? June is the month
of the Summer Solstice when tribes of The People gather to celebrate Mother
Earth and offer prayers of gratitude and for her healing in the form of the
Buffalo Dance. My sister and I have been invited to return to a gathering in
Ohio, to participate again in this sacred tradition. We went last year but were
only able to stay for part of one day and we really had no time to prepare
ahead of time. However, even in our unprepared state, it had a profound impact on
the both of us and we vowed, if they invited us, we would return the next year
for the entire dance and fully participate in all of the practices.
Last year, the leader had said something in one of the
gatherings that really struck a chord in me and has reverberated all year long.
I can't remember what he said exactly, but what I heard was that we should all
walk softly on Mother Earth whenever and however we can. Each step should be
with thought and consideration, leaving little to no impact in our wake.
One of the ways we Walk Softly during the dance is in fasting.
Drinking only water and eating no meat. For those of you who are Vegetarian and
Vegan, this is your everyday life right! Well, for those who rely on meat as their
source of protein and essential fats, this is a big deal.
So I decided, as soon as I knew we could arrange it in our
schedules (between my sister and I this is an amazing feat) and we were in, I
wanted to Walk Softly for the entire month of June.
How you begin an adventure is, to me, one of the most
important steps you make. So I started my month of Walking Softly at the
Farmers Market in Campbell (very fitting) and I packed my "to go"
breakfast with plenty to share. Why? Because I wanted to. We are, after all a
community and what one person does has a direct (or indirect) impact on those
around them.
And here are two of the Farmers Market friends enjoying their
Vegan Raw breakfast!
Anastasia is the CEO and founder of Dharma Love. (pictured
on the left standing in front of some of her fantastic messenger bags) You can find her wonderful
creations here: http://www.dharmalove.com/
and Patty (sporting the striped scarf) who makes marvelous hats and I will add her Etsy
site once I get that from her.
