THE CHALLENGES AND THE REWARDS
We've all had a different journey to get here, we've all had to deal
with a different set of "character building" challenges, I had sunk to
the lowest point in my life and I really doubt there was anyway I
could have gone lower.. I stick the diet and lifestyle because of
where I've been, I know what I stand to loose by straying, I mean what
would it matter if I just had one bite of my flat mates beans and
sausage, or just one sip of my friends" lovely" vegan milk shake..
but i never do because the memory of where I have been is enough,
believe me.
811 is magik, it turned my life around, but it's far from easy, you've
really gotta want it and not just like the idea of it but really
really want it for yourself, cuz you've gotta earn it, your gonna have
to do it for three meals a day every day mostly by yourself surrounded
by people who eat normal and who will tempt you every step of the way,
and not only that but your own mind will try and sabotage your
efforts !! for me the cravings have never gone away, I haven't eaten
anything "normal" in over four years and still it looks like food,
still I want it, still I think about it !! But worst ov all I didn't
realise how special sharing food actually was, when I had it I didn't
appreciate what it was, to sit and eat the same food at the table,
sharing... sharing, oh I miss it so so much, even if you are
surrounded by similar people, what you eat is so important.. maybe
it's just me and I'm blowing it out ov proportion but a few months
back I visited someone and we shared some fruit, and it was totally
amazing, we ate a few boxes of lychees and a tonne of lettuce, and it
was amazing, I hadn't shared that moment in four years, four long and
quite lonely years..
So is it worth it..??.. the price is so high, the effort and self
control needed is beyond most, but the rewards..??.. what can I say to
convince you, there isn't anything I can say.. all I can say is that
as hard as it is I stick it, as boring as it seems sometimes (I'm
actualy satisfied eating the same dam meal over and over and over).. I
don't cheat or stray even when every fiber of my body is willing it
and everyone around me is trying to convince me I'm gonna wither away
and die and that one bite doesn't make a difference, and when my own
body is saying that my life is not complete without that "whatever"..
It's like what dr doug says, "if you want what other people have got,
then do what other people do".. and you know what, they don't have
what I want, none of em have what I want, so why do what they do, why
listen to what they say..
Why do I do it, why do I try so hard, why do i single myself out..??
plain and simple, its the rewards, 811 has given me what I always
wanted, what I always knew was missing, what I had never felt but
always knew was out there right there just out of sight and just out
of reach.. its radiance and energy and hope and passion and love for
myself and the world around me.. but it's not for everyone, only for
those who are tired of their old lives, who want something more, who
want to feel alive and in love with life and themselves, but most
importantly its only for those who are willing to give things up, pay
the price, cuz nothing is free and if it offers the best then you can
dam well be sure it costs the most.. I'm willing to pay the price and
I'll do it alone if I have to, but it would be nice to make this
journey they call life with others, I'd love to hold someones hand and
not feel so alone.. and that's why I say to you, come join me, it's
totally worth it, to see the world through these eyes, to see yourself
this way, it makes all the difference, it has turned life into
something to be excited about, something actually worth living.
Gareth
Permalink Reply by jmac67 on Awesome post, Gareth!
Congratulations for having the Courage to stick to what is the right path for you!
Permalink Reply by Melissa Bryan on Very inspirational! Thank you!
Permalink Reply by PK on I hear and feel every word you are saying with every fiber of my being.
Most of us who have been at it a few years know exactly the who what where when and why of what you wrote.
I feel for you in the aloneness of eating food. And sometimes, one can feel alone in a crowd too because they are rejecting what it is one is doing.
Keep going, and we want to read part II in four more.
Peace, PK
Permalink Reply by molly clare on I am in awe.. Thank you for sharing this 'monologue' of sorts. I have never met you but I could somehow hear you speak the words from your heart.
Without discipline, how can we achieve a higher purpose? Without peaceful intention, how can we have compassion for ourselves and our fellow creatures? Once we have come out of our dark places, and seen/felt/embodied this light, why would we want to turn back?
Permalink Reply by Mikey on Your not alone Gareth we are just not there with you at the moment :)
All the best, maybe as we grow in numbers we won't be so far apart. Till then be a beacon of light so there may find there way.
Go to my page there is a song on it that I think suits your blog and is how I feel as well. Its old but good, when I feel like the world is on my shoulders its one of those ones that helps out.
Permalink Reply by Sweetfruitlover on Thanks so much for sharing this, Gareth. I'm also at the four year mark (though I experimented with cooked food for a time in the last year - that's a subject for another post), and I share many of your feelings.
With regards to sharing food with someone else, it helps that I live in the bay area where there are lots of other raw fooders. Also, I have found that many people are up for sharing some of my fruit or a dinner salad at a family gathering. It's fun to turn people on to yummy foods.
Ironically, I met a man who is a raw vegan too, and we're engaged and living together now. However, he has this thing where hearing other people chewing food irritates him, so we rarely eat together. So here I thought I'd found someone to share this very basic thing in life with, and I end up eating by myself more with him than when I'm with others!
Permalink Reply by Fruit fly on Gereth your know how to express your self as always:)... Go go go friend!
Permalink Reply by Evalina on I love this, thank you so much for genuineness and honesty. I shall look back to these words and think to myself "Heck yeah, it's worth it" and so many of the wonderful, amazing people on 30 BaD agree. You and others are my inspiration, are my hope that yeah together we can build a better tomorrow for ourselves, our friends/family and our community. Again Thank you.
Permalink Reply by Anzhela Shurina on Wow...just great! Thanks a lot for writing this Gareth!
JoberrySweetnRaw replied to b.a.n.a.n.a.s's discussion Using women's bodies for the promotion of a vegan lifestyleJoberrySweetnRaw replied to b.a.n.a.n.a.s's discussion Using women's bodies for the promotion of a vegan lifestyle
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