Never Say Never... (Personal Decisions You'd Never Thought You'd Make)

[ObsidianJones_v1legacy]

Well. I got violently sick in the beginning of the year. Like, it was really bad. I missed seeing my family and the youngest of us because of how sick I was. I was really down.

Once I healed, I found my palate changed. I was cutting out red meat because it was physically hurting me. For about a year, I was doing fine on chicken and fish. But after my sickness... I had no taste for either of those.

So. Here I am... Mostly a vegan. Something I NEVER thought I would say.

My muscle mass has been affected. But it's stabilized. But I am leaner, my skin does look better, and I feel nothing when I eat.

That last part might need some explaining. I always had some type of pain or pressure when I ate before. I thought it was normal. I felt heavy, slow, and like that was it for the day. I don't feel that with a plant-based diet. Eating is just a part of my day, not a mood/energy downer like it used to be.

I still have the occasional burger. It still hurts, but if I space it out it's manageable. Like I said before, this isn't about some sort of awakening. You need to consume life to live. Plants are alive just as animals are. I have no misconceptions that a plant's life is worth less than an animal's. In fact, I've always honored both for what they have done to keep me going.

... I say this last part because getting vegan recipes on youtube gets grating.

Anyway, are there any big changes in your life that you never thought you would make?

 

[McElroy]

Leave my mother's womb.

 

[Xprimentyl]

Staying in Texas for me.

I?m from Ohio; I spent the entirety of my first 30 years of life there with my very close-knit family and a lifetime?s worth of friends. In 2010, very unexpectedly, I was offered a job at one of our facilities near Fort Worth, Texas. This was a significant promotion, and I was told it would be an 18-24 month stint; the team I was joining was new, and the idea was to rotate leaders throughout the enterprise into the team?s various roles for the experience. Much to the surprise of everyone I knew and loved, I accepted the job, my mantra being ?it?s only 2 years, it?s only 2 years?? I didn?t really take to Texas easily; it?s hot, the traffic sucks donkey balls, and the people can be obnoxious given their infamous Texas pride, but the temporary nature of my stay made it tolerable. I found a watering hole, made a few of friends, met a couple of girlfriends, and counted the days?

Welp, 2012 came and the formation of the then two-year old team changed, and my stint came to an end. I was transitioned toooo? our corporate headquarters in Frisco, Texas, which, if you can?t tell, is demonstrably NOT ?back to Ohio.? Ah, the fine print; ladies and gentlemen, always read the fine print!!!! The ?18-24 month stint? never implied a return home; I?d assumed it, and was then living with the very real fact that I was in Texas indefinitely.

So, I commuted the +40 miles in traffic and oft +100 degree heat everyday between my Fort Worth apartment and my Frisco job for a year, putting nearly 25,000 miles on my car, before saying ?fuck it? and moving closer to my job in 2013. Packing up and moving within Texas (and not back to Ohio) was the final acceptance that I was stuck in my job?s gravitation field. It hurt every time I?d talk to my parents or friends back home and they?d inevitably ask ?when are you coming home?? and I, like a coward, only responded ?Meh, I?m not sure? knowing full well that I definitively didn?t know if I was EVER coming home.

And now, 2013 was 6 years ago. I?ve got my steady job and coming up on 10 years with the company, a stable of friends, a girlfriend I live with and love (today?s our 3-year anni,) and a town I?m familiar with? I?ve got a life? here in Texas. Leaving now seems unreasonable. My family and friends don?t even ask when I?m coming home anymore. It was basically unsaid until early last year when I called home and my grandfather (god bless him) asked when I was coming home, and my MOM said ?he lives in Texas now, Dad; he?s not coming home.? I didn?t argue.

 

[ObsidianJones_v1legacy]

And now, 2013 was 6 years ago. I?ve got my steady job and coming up on 10 years with the company, a stable of friends, a girlfriend I live with and love (today?s our 3-year anni,) and a town I?m familiar with? I?ve got a life? here in Texas. Leaving now seems unreasonable. My family and friends don?t even ask when I?m coming home anymore. It was basically unsaid until early last year when I called home and my grandfather (god bless him) asked when I was coming home, and my MOM said ?he lives in Texas now, Dad; he?s not coming home.? I didn?t argue.

Hey, sincerest congrats on your three year.

We never know where life is going to take us. We just hope we can carve out a bit of it for ourselves. It sounds like you're doing just that. Keep living your best life, man.

 

[Xprimentyl]

SNIP

Hey, sincerest congrats on your three year.

We never know where life is going to take us. We just hope we can carve out a bit of it for ourselves. It sounds like you're doing just that. Keep living your best life, man.

Much appreciated, bud.

And I?d like to think I?ve been intentionally carving out my lot in life, but the truth is I?m not that driven; I?m just going with it. I spent the better part of these past 9 years in Texas worrying and trying to dictate my life onto what I thought was the specific path I wanted, but while I held on to the bucking bronco that is life, I started to see the dust settling in ways that were pleasantly unexpected, so I kinda let go, flew off and landed in a pretty damn nice place. I go back to Ohio about once a year, it?s changed a lot, not all for the better, and outside of friends and family, there?s not really much there for me anymore (not to belittle the importance of friends and family by any stretch.) Nope, my life is here, in the oppressive heat and gridlock traffic surrounded by obnoxious Texans 30 miles northeast of the godawful Dallas Cowboys? stadium. Whod?uh thunk it?

 

[Gordon_4_v1legacy]

Never thought I?d marry or have children. And yet here I am.

And before anyone asks, yes it was in that order and my children weren?t born until I?d been married for two years.

 

[Tanis]

I never though I'd start drinking again, but here I am using my days off to stay home and drink liquor.

I never though I'd be working at WALMART, but here I am...in my 30s...working at this shithole, again, because my degree went from 'future secure' to the tech version of an English degree.

>_>

 

[Neurotic Void Melody]

 

[Zykon TheLich_v1legacy]

I never though I'd start drinking again, but here I am using my days off to stay home and drink liquor.

I never thought I'd start smoking again, yet here I am sitting on a train wishing I could get off to have a roll up. We can be bad decision bro's.

 

[Johnny Novgorod]

I remember seriously considering as a kid never uttering a swear word in my life. Fuck it right?

 

[jademunky]

I never thought I would ever find personal happiness being single and totally uninterested in being in another romantic relationship.

Yet here I am. A year-and-a-half after my divorce* and still find myself exited to be coming home after work. The relief that I won't have to argue with someone or step on eggshells to avoid tension in the house still feels fresh. My evenings are my own and it is still fun.

I can spend an hour cooking for myself after work and not worry about some hungry, impatient person glaring at me and nagging to just make them a grilled cheese. I can play video games on the weekends rather than spend them visiting in-laws or installing some new hanging baskets or light-fixtures. I don't have to clean up after the sickly, incontinent, asthmatic, overweight cat that we rescued from my neglectful alcoholic chain-smoking Father-in-law (poor Mr. Butters, I will always miss him. Miss all the cats we owned together).

I'm not saying "never again" but I am saying "not right now."

*probably should've moved away during the separation period too but we had trouble selling the house and I could not afford two properties.

 

[jademunky]

... I say this last part because getting vegan recipes on youtube gets grating.

How do you feel aboot cheese? I could give you some great vegetarian recipe's for Zucchini Lasagna and Bean Burrito bowls but they are not technically vegan.

Also, I'm curious. Does your feeling towards meat come from a newfound revulsion towards the idea of eating it or from a genuine change in sense of taste and texture? *EDIT* I see, upon re-reading I understand you describe it as "physically hurting".

I ask because, while there have been several foods (Oreo cookies and Macintosh Apples for example) that I suddenly and foreverafter found my appetite rejecting one day for seemingly no reason, what you describe sounds quite different. My cases were just being given them so often without variation as a kid by well meaning, if unimaginative, parents.

 

[Saelune]

I dunno, maybe never being a PC gamer. But with PC games gaining what I liked about console gaming, and console gaming losing those things, wasn't really my choice to make. I only got an Xbox One cause of my friends, and they barely play it with me anyways. (Fuck Anthem).

 

[ObsidianJones_v1legacy]

How do you feel aboot cheese? I could give you some great vegetarian recipe's for Zucchini Lasagna and Bean Burrito bowls but they are not technically vegan.

Also, I'm curious. Does your feeling towards meat come from a newfound revulsion towards the idea of eating it or from a genuine change in sense of taste and texture? *EDIT* I see, upon re-reading I understand you describe it as "physically hurting".

I ask because, while there have been several foods (Oreo cookies and Macintosh Apples for example) that I suddenly and foreverafter found my appetite rejecting one day for seemingly no reason, what you describe sounds quite different. My cases were just being given them so often without variation as a kid by well meaning, if unimaginative, parents.

Thanks for the offer, but I've never really like the taste of cheese. Ever. I really don't get why you people love it so, but I'm happy that you do.

What actually started me to listen to my body was being a Personal Trainer. My parents raised me on the American Diet. Meaning McDonald's, Chinese Food, and Pizza. And yes, to those wondering, I did take the cheese off. Yes, I know this makes me a monster in many people's eyes. You're all welcomed to Fight me in a Field.

But back to the topic, my body literally couldn't get what it needed from fast food. so I was cooking more, but I still felt sluggish. Then it turned into outright pain. I noticed it more when I had red meat than chicken, so I cut it out. I felt like I could literally fly in a few weeks' time.

I figured my body knew what's what, so I'd just listen to it when it was telling me something.

 

[Xprimentyl]

I've never really like the taste of cheese. Ever.

Most offensive thing I?ve ever read in my life. Seriously, where are the mods when you really need them? Not saying perma-ban, but 2 week suspension, at LEAST.

Yes, I know this makes me a monster in many people's eyes. You're all welcomed to Fight me in a Field.

I won?t fight you, but I will pray that it?s not too late to exorcise whatever unholy demon has laid claim on your immortal soul.

 

[ObsidianJones_v1legacy]

I've never really like the taste of cheese. Ever.

Most offensive thing I?ve ever read in my life. Seriously, where are the mods when you really need them? Not saying perma-ban, but 2 week suspension, at LEAST.

Yes, I know this makes me a monster in many people's eyes. You're all welcomed to Fight me in a Field.

I won?t fight you, but I will pray that it?s not too late to exorcise whatever unholy demon has laid claim on your immortal soul.

I shouldn't tell you my stance on Chocolate, then. It will Shock and Amaze you that I'm still labeled as Human!

Eh, like an ex used to tell her friends when I gave her the cheese off my pizza "Hey, just means more for the rest of us".

For life, you have first dibs of any cheese that touches my pizza. We cool again?

 

[Xprimentyl]

I shouldn't tell you my stance on Chocolate, then. It will Shock and Amaze you that I'm still labeled as Human!

Eh, like an ex used to tell her friends when I gave her the cheese off my pizza "Hey, just means more for the rest of us".

For life, you have first dibs of any cheese that touches my pizza. We cool again?

I?ve no strong feelings towards chocolate, but cheese? The delicious, bacteria?d teat juice of meat-imals?? There are literally too many varieties to simply say you don?t like ?cheese;? that?s like saying you don?t like ?scents? or ?flavors.?

I guess we?re still cool, but I?m watching you?

 

[jademunky]

Thanks for the offer, but I've never really like the taste of cheese. Ever. I really don't get why you people love it so, but I'm happy that you do.

What actually started me to listen to my body was being a Personal Trainer. My parents raised me on the American Diet. Meaning McDonald's, Chinese Food, and Pizza. And yes, to those wondering, I did take the cheese off. Yes, I know this makes me a monster in many people's eyes. You're all welcomed to Fight me in a Field.

But back to the topic, my body literally couldn't get what it needed from fast food. so I was cooking more, but I still felt sluggish. Then it turned into outright pain. I noticed it more when I had red meat than chicken, so I cut it out. I felt like I could literally fly in a few weeks' time.

I figured my body knew what's what, so I'd just listen to it when it was telling me something.

Wow, as someone trying to cut down on his meat consumption, this is interesting. I find myself planning out my meals, prepping ahead, turning meat from the main ingredient to something more occasional then, on the way home from work suddenly deciding "oh yeah, gas station beef jerky somehow sounds like a good idea at the moment."