Meet Your Community (it's good for you!)

There is nothing I have found more empowering in my recent past than getting out and meeting my vegan community. If it's something you are passionate about and, maybe, feel isolated once in a while, you will do yourself a great service by mingling, workshopping, vacationing, etc. with your fellow vegans.

I just want to encourage the masses that if you have the opportunity to drive a little further, take a plane or get there however you choose - just do it. I had attended the Boston Vegetarian Festival a couple years in a row and, after being vegetarian for 13 years, sat in on a talk by Erik Marcus and began my transition to becoming vegan. That was 4 years ago. At the end of 2006, I was at the end of an intimate relationship and fell hard into depression for most of 2007. In June of that year, I took a 6-hour car ride with my parents to Vegetarian Summerfest (vegetariansummerfest.org) for a weekend of workshops and sharing meals with the likes of Howard Lyman and Victoria Moran. It helped me through and gave a glimmer of hope in my darkness. The so-called 'celebrities' of the vegan movement seem to always make themselves available because they are passionate about the same things we are and that just serves to bring us all together and make us stronger. It made me feel less isolated in my vegan pursuit and was the catalyst to starting this blog and finding like-minded individuals in my own community. In May of this year, I took a vacation to Portland, Oregon and met up with vegan bodybuilder Robert Cheeke and other members of the vegan bodybuilding forum who were just wonderful, down-to-earth and incredibly inspiring people.

Today, I supported the Woodstock Farm Animal Sanctuary by attending their annual Thanksliving fundraiser with a menu of the most amazing vegan appetizers, main course and dessert. The speakers included the always hysterical Dan Pirraro, Skinny Bitch Rory Freedman and Kris Carr of Crazy Sexy Cancer fame. Before we knew it, Kris was circling our table with video camera in tow and interviewing my mom, my dad and myself for the sanctuary. Dig that ... Kris Carr wanted to ask ME about my vegan journey. I'm sure I didn't say anything too profound but, it was just one of those cool vegan moments that waits for you to just show up. Kris has one of those beautiful energies that you are just happy to be part of for that fleeting moment.

So - take part in your own life. FEED your passions! If you are so passionate about veganism, honor it. Seek out other vegans even if it means taking a trip to meet them. It will be SO worth it - I promise.

PEACE & Vegan Love - David