THAT conversation

My boyfriend isn't too worried about what I eat. As long as I don't try to take bacon away from him, I can really do whatever I please. There was no real debate or argument when I let him know that I was going to move towards a vegan diet. He just kinda said "whatever makes you happy babe." Easy. So far.

So imagine my surprise when the question "Well where do you think the hormones in your birth control pill come from??" came out of a friend of mine this weekend. "Mares in stalls probably in just as poor conditions."

My less than witty response was "I'm doing what I can, I can't do everything. Yet." I admit, it had been a long day, I wasn't at the top of my verbal game. No excuses. What did the fish say when he swam into a cement wall? DAMN.

And then the universe gave me another shot at the whole conversation about an hour later when another friend (after I mentioned that I kinda would miss icecream as we walked by a closed parlour) asked me to clarify..."So, like, NO animal stuff? What about the horse hormones in your pill?" Well the fact that a guy new all about that and even thought of it kinda blew me away too, but the fact that the powers that be brought me that little gem of knowledge twice in a day brought me to the conclusion that I didn't want to put something elses hormones in my body quite yet. We'll see in 20 or 30 years when hormone therapy has had more time to see long term effects for menopause.. yeah, can't wait for that little roller coaster...

Later that evening when I brought it up in conversation as "I am thinking about not going back on the pill" (I would have been starting a new pack the next evening) my boyfriend simply said "Okay." Thats it. Nothing. So I reiterated that I was after a conversation because it effects him too, and he added "is it because everyone bugged you about it?" My responses included but were not limited to:

-Yes, a bit.
-There must be a reason it came to me twice in one day
-In a few university classes the detrimental effects of various birth control devices was often a topic when health was the main focus.
-I felt better off off of it, as I was two summers ago for a few months
-I think it is one of the reasons I cannot get to the weight that I want to get to
-I think it makes me moodier than I would otherwise be
-Have you ever just felt something (to which he answered 'I'm an engineer... not really.')

So after a not-so-long process of weighing pros and cons (read: 5 seconds of listening to my body) I am going to stop taking the birth control pill.

I now wish that I could redo the original conversation... "Actually I'm not on the pill, and since I trim my nails, no animals are harmed in my sex life..."

In other news, the local radio station is holding a new years resolution for weight loss and health competition. Weigh ins this week and then again in three months will determine the winner as the person who loses the greatest percentage of inches. So I'm going to give it a shot. If nothing else, I am sure there is a great goody bag from Natures Fare, about the only place I can find most of my slightly odd vegan delights in this town. So I will weigh in today with the expectation of something I need coming to me in goody bag form!

I also get to do one of my favourite 'me time' activities today... I am getting a shiatsu massage from the lovely Carli Wrighton of Wrighton massage. She does a fantastic job of helping me balance myself out, and with the constant headaches I have been getting I am painfully aware that it has been to long since I have seen her.

I wish she had a blog or a website I could send you to, but as of now her word of mouth and reference customers keep her busy enough, so all I can do is say that if you are wanting some energy healing in the Okanagan, seek her out. She is caring and educated and will put you on whatever path is right for your healing. I am wondering what effect my change of diet will have on my energy channels... we shall see...

On todays list of things to do:
-research 'natural family planning'
-make sweet potatoe fries
-research and then teach more aquafit for certification
-spend an hour at 'work' playing Egypt games and making Egypt themed crafts
-run
-weight program
-finish my application for the Scouting movement to become an official Cub leader
-copy out some vegan recipes for myself and interested friends
-find out the best way to cook beets
-make the world a better place

So with that I leave you with one of my favourite quotes... it always makes me realize the connections that we invent, and that although I am no island, my internal weather is of my own making and that this 'need' thing is more than often a 'want' thing...

"A woman without a man is like a fish without a bicycle."