The Kind Ones

It's really hard for me not to be sad about the overall situations around the world. There's sadness and suffering in so many places. There are many quiet heros who go about their business for selflessness' sake. People give up precious time in their lives to do what they can to make this world a better place. I really believe that from the urban metroplex to the tiny hometown out in the country there are people that think and act and share in a kind life. I believe that it is my culture, as a native-born Texan, having grown up through the sixties and seventies, to be kind to nature, talk it out instead of fight, find solutions to problems in the nicest possible way. As a granddaughter myself, I take with me all the ladies before me learned. We've grown up a lot over these decades as women, and I am proud that something I was a part of, something I stood for, still flourishes today, with new passion and intellect. We are the product of Coca-Cola and Kraft Foods, Monsanto and untold numbers of corporate nightmares of the 50's and beyond. Our ill health and the crisis of our children's health can all be traced back to what Deepak Chopra calls mass conditioning. The drive for money, corporate greed, lead the way to the poisoning of our food supplies and with factory farming, the horrific slaughter and inhumane treatment of defenseless animals. I'm sorry if it offends someone, but I stand behind the green movement, fully committed to stopping the madness, however long it takes. If I had a daughter or a son, I would show them a beautiful, clean and healthy lifestyle. Whatever it took to give them the edge, the knowledge, and the fire to make change. I haven't given up myself, either. Becoming vegetarian can be a difficult journey for a lot of reasons. And I have educated myself to the point where even that's not enough, and I am looking right in the face of becoming a full-fledged Vegan, knowing already the path will not be easy. I won't tell you what's so hard about it, the peeling back of the layers, your body and your mind feeling almost raw at times. But I can only guess at the great benefit it will bring, not only for me but for everyone around me. I recently read somewhere that becoming vegetarian saves the lives of 54 animals a year. That's frightening to me and I can't be a part of it anymore. To make changes is sometimes difficult. But I believe it can be the most rewarding time in your life, as each accomplishment will bring a certain strength to your heart, and to your soul. I may have felt like one of the "sad ones" most of my life, but now as I see so much goodness in America, I hope I will be remembered once I'm gone as one of the kind ones.