This blog is about my journey of becoming a writer and the zigzagging road that brought me to veganism and beyond.
Writing: I’ve always had an active imagination. And at ten, I submitted my first short story to a magazine contest. It didn’t win.
Although my English teachers encouraged my creative efforts, and my mom had aspirations of being a writer, so she understood my aspirations, my father wanted me to pursue a stable career. One that would allow me independence and, more likely, prevent me from moving back in with them.
I don’t blame his reasoning. He’d already paid for my brother’s Fine Arts degree, and we’ve all heard stories of how difficult finding work in that profession can be. So because I was good at math and puzzles, I eventually became an accountant. And I’ll always be grateful to my parents for funding my tuition and books.
As a result of having nowhere to shine, the writer inside me curled into a tiny ball and went dormant. But after years of spreadsheets and business cycles, I revisited my dream and discovered I didn’t know the first thing about writing. So I piecemealed my education by attending classes, workshops, and conferences. It wasn’t easy, but I stuck with it, and now I call myself a writer.
And if you’re wondering why I chose to write under a pseudonym when I originally published my first novel, the name has extra special meaning to me. Before my mom suffered from a brain injury and lost her ability to care for herself, she created the pen name from my middle name and childhood nickname. Sadly for me, she never knew I wrote the book or finally published. But, I know without a shadow of a doubt, she would’ve been my number one fan!
Veganism: Most of us know how hard it is to break with family tradition, particularly when it revolves around food. So if I’d been told in my youth that I’d be vegan later in life, I wouldn’t have thought it possible. Meat, egg, and dairy were staples in our household, especially when we lived in Alaska and Texas.
But when “healthy” foods (string cheese, low-fat yogurt, hard-boiled eggs, chicken, fish, etc.) began adding pounds, which in turn affected my energy level, I researched “elimination” diets to determine which ingredients were causing the most problems. Some changes worked for a little while, but all were too complicated for me to maintain long term.
As luck would have it, my brother-in-law loaned me his copy of Eat to Live by Dr. Joel Fuhrman. Although Dr. Fuhrman doesn’t promote veganism per se, results from major studies he cited in the book led me in that direction. But avoiding animal products was only part of the solution. The larger issue was highly-processed foods and artificial sweeteners, so I avoid them whenever possible.
After I decided to bypass vegetarianism and go directly to veganism, friend and author Midge Raymond helped me transition. She recommended her favorite products and recipes, and she pointed me to vegan websites. Her blog Vegan Cheese Tasting is worth a look.
Essays: I hope to find the meaning of life by overanalyzing my journey. (It could happen!?!)
But many of my posts will be about my dear mother and the love she felt for her husband, four children, two grandchildren, pets and other animals, books, the arts, and her nursing career.
To say Mom lived an unconventional life would be an understatement. She was born in Chicago and grew up in mining camps throughout California, Utah, and Montana. She often reminisced about her horses (Maxine, Gypsy, and Blizzard), especially how smart they were and how she rode Blizzard every weekday to and from a one-room schoolhouse near Butte.
Mom was feisty and opinionated and way ahead of her time. But being a nonconformist wasn’t easy for her, and she sometimes faltered under the pressure of fitting into the constricting mold of polite society—especially being married to a store manager in the 60s and 70s, when a working wife reflected badly on the husband’s ability to provide for his family.
As a nurse, she was especially proud of her job with Planned Parenthood in Arkansas and Texas from the mid-70s through retirement. After which, she volunteered at Mission Arlington.
And if she hadn’t believed in me so fiercely, I’m certain I wouldn’t be alive today.
Thank you, Mom! You are my ball of light, and I will carry your love for me, and cherish my memory of you, until our spirits reunite, upon my final breath.