Nothing like a 2-year blogging hiatus…

It took two years, but I found myself thinking about this blog and how much I used to enjoy writing. I was in such a transition period in my last post. Little did I know – nor did any of us – what was about to transpire when I last posted December 26, 2019.

Since then, I’ve managed to stave off getting COVID (knocking on wood right now), took a year off from drinking, tried “moderating” drinking and realized it served no purpose so eschewed it completely, and have celebrated going vegan 3+ years ago.

On the mental health side, I quit my stressful corporate job and took a long-overdue six-month sabbatical. I’m now starting to think about what my next step might be. As much as I have loved serving education for the past 2+ decades, my interests now tend to revolve around health and wellness, building financial security, and plants/nature…all intertwined.

I kicked off the year with my annual helping of vegan hoppin’ John soup. Here’s to health, wealth, peace, and love. We need it now more than ever.

Vegan hoppin’ john soup

Your Body Reflects What You Feed It

I’ve been meaning to post these “Before and After” photos for a while. I’ve now been vegan for almost 11 months and it’s been nearly four months since my last glass of alcohol. It has been almost ten months since my last hair-dye. I started looking back at pictures from 2017 and 2018 and there’s such a difference! Keep in mind, my weight has only decreased about seven or eight pounds between these photos. Most of the “thinning” you see in my face is actually due to reduced inflammation.

Pictures 1 and 2: notice the bloated face, tired puffy eyes, grey skin. Picture 1 shows how dry and unhealthy my hair had become.

In picture 2, I had just had my hair dyed and cut, but notice the WIDE part. My hair was falling out! I’m wearing tons of makeup (for me) to cover up the greyness. And OMG, look at the wine/meat/cheese jowls.

In Picture 3, taken just a few weeks ago, my hair has grown back thicker and healthier. My face and eyes aren’t as puffy. I’m wearing very little makeup in this photo. I look genuinely happy (because I am!)

Finally, the picture below show the changes in my cholesterol levels after only six months vegan. I hadn’t fully stopped drinking yet (though I had cut down drastically) when this test was run, so I can’t wait to see what my next test results will show! My cholesterol dropped lower than it had been four years ago.

Your body, especially your face, will reflect what you feed it. Give it the best!