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In The Hippie Diaries

Let’s Talk For Real

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We have been going back and forth for a while now about how to start writing on our blog again. Like anything you stop for a while, it can be hard to get back into the swing of things. You see, we don’t live our life in one direction – we never have. We like it that way. Myles said to me not too long ago that one of the things he loves most about our life is how we can be both very happy with where we are and yet always strive for better.

In these last few months, we have had another big uproot in our life. One that we thought would never happen and yet, that’s life. Not really knowing where to start as so much has changed in the last couple months, we thought in honor of Bell’s Let’s Talk celebration, now is as great a time as any.

After Myles’ car crash he got his fifth concussion and struggled every single day as post concussion syndrome infected almost every aspect of his life. Thinking this was something we could just run away from, the common ignore it and it will go away, but even with all our running, we couldn’t get away from it. As the days ticked by his headaches were staying as strong and crippling as ever. No amount of naps was working for him. He was so out of commission it would mean that often our day ends at 5 pm.

It wasn’t until just after our honeymoon when coming back to the van that we noticed how much this was affecting every single aspect of our life.

We were living our dreams, but at 70%.

These early nights weren’t fulfilling us anymore. We didn’t run towards this lifestyle to only live it half way. It was hard to say it, to admit it, but Myles finally said: I think I am heading towards depression and we need to change some things. So, after a long discussion, we decided that our health had to be our top priority. Once we got our health better, we could come back and finally live this life at 100%, or close to.

So, in a split second, we switched directions and drove back up to BC to focus on self-improvement.

It is really hard to decide to focus all your time on improving yourself, but it can be the most important decision of your life.

With the past four months in a rented basement suite in the small town of Kamloops, we have focused all our energy on health. Countless chiropractor, massage, physio and naturopath appointments and we are proud to say that Myles pain has, for the first time in years, become more manageable.

Along with regular health care appointments we have made some drastic lifestyle changes. We have started placing a huge importance on fueling our bodies on the healthiest foods, taking supplements for any vitamins we can’t get naturally (vitamin B12), and exercising in the form of hikes and yoga on a daily basis. The difference… well, stay tuned!

This change has provided us the most unexpected results. We thought our dogs would love the extra space and the consistency of daily life, and while they’re happy, they are incredibly bored. We have both started school again for a semester in an attempt to gradually plug away at finishing our degrees.

This life is by no means permanent, we plan to travel and even return to the road the moment the weather gets warm and our health is stable, but for now we are focusing on what matters most – ourselves.

Our story, much like life, is a messy one. An absolutely beautiful mess.

In Food/Eats

What Is It Like To Be Vegan: A Meat Eater’s Perspective

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**Disclaimer: This isn’t meant to offend anyone. This is just an opinion that I am passionately expressing. (I must be Canadian, eh?)**

Trust me I was a meat eater. My favourite meal used to be a rib dinner with a meaty lasagna. I would eat meat at every single meal for most of my 27 years. When Samara came to me and said she wanted to be a vegetarian I shrugged and said “Ok, have fun with that.”. I continued to eat meat.

food

It wasn’t until our trip to Southeast Asia that my eyes were opened. We hired a driver to take us through Bali. He would tell us stories about the Balinese way of life as he drove. As we passed through what looked like a traditional street market he cautioned us from eating from the street vendors. He went on to say that the meat might look like beef or chicken or pork, but it could very well be dog, cat or even rat.

That got to me.

Knowing that I’ve been eating from street vendors our entire trip made me think about how much “real meat” I had eaten. It all looked the same but thinking about our dogs back at home made me sick. What is the difference between dog and cow meat? Not much. But thinking about how much personality our dogs have what makes them different from a cow?

You may also like: 6 Heartbreaking Things To AVOID In Bali

We have driven along many farms – many of which have cows. Even driving by we see their personalities. Just as dogs want to show love cows do as well. Some were scratching their backs on posts with their huge tongues hanging out. Others were licking, what we could only imagine as, their mom’s face.

Who are we to decide which animal dies to become our food?food

After spending two years at university I am familiar with thought experiments. Forget the reality in which we live and imagine a completely new one. Us humans have been invaded by another being who has decided that we are now a delicacy. They have no need to eat us (just as we have no need to eat animals, as we are proving) but choose to. There are other ways they can obtain their nutrients but still decide to kill and eat us.

Doesn’t that sound like a horrible place to live?

We would surely try to do something about it. How is this different from what we are doing to cows? Sure this may make me sound crazy, but is it not what is happening? We have been taught through evolution that we need the calories that meat provides us. But that is not true today. We can get our calories and nutrients from other ways but choose not to.

But let’s put philosophy aside for a moment.

I Felt Better

I felt physical effects of the change in my diet – and not in the ways you might think. No longer do I feel bloated. I would feel gassy after nearly every meal I would eat. You don’t realize how milk is in nearly every single meal you eat. Hindsight is 20/20 I guess. Why was I eating (and continued to eat) something my body couldn’t digest?

Samara has also felt the effects of going vegan. She has struggled with PCOS for most of her adult life. This is a disease that affects her ability to get pregnant and ultimately conceive children. Within one week she got her period back. We were pessimistically optimistic.restaurant, food, vegan

It’s one thing to get it back but another to keep it regularly, we thought

But ever since she has cut dairy (and of course meat as well) out of her diet her period has been clockwork.

My body has noticeably changes as well. I have never been overweight, but since I have became a vegan my fat has significantly decreased. Now you may be thinking “That makes sense. You’re eating less calories!”. That would be true but my weight has stayed the same. I have not been working out or exercising more. The only thing that has changed is my diet.

The Change

I thought it would be hard to give up the food that I had become accustomed to eating for my entire life. I had tried to do this when I was younger but it was a nightmare so I was bracing for the worst. It has actually been easy. We have driven all across North America and have only had trouble finding food in a few places.

We eat better than we did when we ate meat.

For every single meat dish there is a meat alternative. Love chicken wings? I can make you a dish that you would think is actual wings from a chicken. More of a meaty spaghetti and meatball person? Done. Like any true Canadian I can’t give up bacon – and I don’t. And on top of all that, the food tastes better! I haven’t counted my calories since starting this diet but I don’t feel hungry ever.

Check out what we have in our kitchen!

For all of you that come up with reasons not to become vegan – your excuses are running out.

Have you become vegan? What are your experiences – we’d love to hear from you!