Maybe my choices DO matter.

This is from an email my mom sent me today about my sister.  She is eleven years old.

Andrea has not eat meat in 2 weeks.  She is trying not to eat meat and you know how she loves chicken.  I got some veggie dogs yesterday and she liked those.  I even liked them.  

As I sat and watched my husband and daughter devour a huge plate of bacon while we were out to breakfast on Sunday, I wondered to myself why I didn't join them.  I love bacon and I haven't had it in years.  I am not one of those vegetarians who will go on about how they don't like meat and how they find it disgusting.  I miss it like crazy sometimes.  I do find my stomach turning over it much more than I used to though.  I was watching someone eat fried chicken on Saturday and it didn't look like it had been completely cooked near the bone and I could see what looked like blood.  All of a sudden, it didn't look so appealing anymore.  Chicken has been the easiest thing to give up for me.  I also would have a difficult time handling raw meat of any kind.  I would love a steak though.  Or a burger.  Not a "veggie burger" or a "portobello burger" either. For me, being a vegetarian is a real sacrifice and although it has gotten easier, I don't think it will ever be easy.  Not just because of the restricted diet but also because there is always going to be wank and ridicule from people who don't understand the choice not to eat meat.  There is also the crap we get from vegans.  I rarely ever read VegNews anymore because there are always cheap shots directed at those of us who chose to consume dairy.  Even if we make conscious efforts to only purchase local and humanely raised products.  I know I'm no saint but I think that anyone who choses to make even the slightest curb in their meat consumption is cool.  If everyone gave it up just for one day a week, it would make an amazing difference in environmental impact and personal health.  People have eaten meat for thousands of years and I am not going to hold my breath that they are suddenly going to stop because of some crazy PETA stunt.  I think they mean well but for the most part, PETA embarrasses me.  I don't eat meat because I am protesting the overall ethics and cruelty behind the production of it as well as the environmental impact.  It's negligent and wrong and we will continue to face dire consequences in our health and our planet if we don't do something about it.  It frustrates me that people don't seem to understand this and sometimes I do deal with temptation to throw in the towel.  

My little sister really made my day and that email was just what I needed.