Peaceful posting.

Writing this on the first night of a five-day break from school. Spent most of the day organizing menu plans and my workspace for homework ... and eating (spaghetti with spinach, mushrooms and homemade vegan pesto..erm ... three bowlsful, but i only had lunch, not breakfast...) ... and watching movies and planning christmas presents and knitting.

on monday, celebrated turkey-free thanksgiving with a delicious meal cooked by a vegan chef trained by another chef friend of mine, and shared with like-minded vegetarian and vegan company. Did you know that I'm trying to convert to vegan? It's hard, but only sometimes. Most days I marvel at how much fruit/veg I consume. Your whole energy vibrates differently when you don't eat meat. Your whole outlook changes, your health changes. It's an incredibly powerful thing, and of course it's kind and gentle to both animals and our battered earth.

This year, I am thankful for my family and their health, for beginning a new decade of my life, for the best friends ever, for the ability to purchase and make from scratch delicious, organic, local, healthy food, for the ability to donate both food and money to those less fortunate, for my new AMAZING apartment (yes, there will eventually be pictures...), for my newfound determination to SAVE money for something good in my near future. I'm thankful to live in a vibrant, caring community of people. I'm very thankful for all of you ... your blogs continually inspire me to keep on keeping on with forging a path of voluntary simplicity, despite sometimes feeling like an island of eccentricity in an increasingly consumerist, suburban, cookie-cutter world. I'm thankful for a Democratic president, and health care reform (PLEASE please with a public option...). For an older car that still works beautifully. For yoga. For the higher energies that surround and sustain us. For the sacred feminine.

Have a wonderful, relaxing weekend. Mine will be spent entirely out of the shops. I'll be home, homeworking, knitting christmas gifts, going out to see a play, babysitting, and doing laundry. Perhaps taking a walk or a yoga class or two, we'll see.

Peace to you, and happy thanksgiving.

Karen