The Treasure Hunt

Wednesday June 18, 2014 3:23 pm

In less than two weeks I will mark 20 years since I became a vegetarian... mostly? I suppose I'm somewhat like Penny on The Big Bang Theory as she said to Sheldon in the pilot episode: “I'm a vegetarian. Well, except for fish, and the occasional steak. I love steak!” I just now watched this clip for the first time. So far I have watched it four times and I laughed every time at how she emphasized that she, “... loves steak!!! Her mannerisms are cute also :) After she said that Sheldon replied, “Well, that's interesting. Leonard can't process corn.” LOL!!! (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MNo0i-bwIRM)

There have been three times in my life when I (on purpose) decided to eat flesh after I quit for good on June 30, 1994. The first time I ate meat was after I became sick several years ago and I stupidly decided that I might know why that happened? Because of those thoughts I decided to buy, prepare, and eat fish. (My reason for doing that now seems silly to me.) I also ate raw fish while on a trip one time and I again ate raw fish some months later as a follow up to that first time. Other than that I guess I'm like Penny... (mostly) “vegetarian?”

For some odd reason it always seemed a little easier for me to do anything in life that I decide I might want to try if I have a starting date which seems important to me. So, in 1994 I knew a date was coming when the world's atomic clocks would stop for approximately one second in order to allow accurate time to be kept. Every few years they must do this as the Earth's rotation slows and our clocks are not totally in sync with the Earth. I think over the last 40 years this has happened a couple of dozen times? Anyway, now (and in my mind) I pretend that I quit eating meat on the day that 'time stood still.' I admit this is both childish and stupid: nonetheless it helps me to keep doing those things I want to do whenever I can remind myself of when and why I stopped... or started something? Also, on the childish part of my life and the things I do. Well, I know that if a person lives long enough then growing and looking old is mandatory, but I figure 'growing up' is optional... and I have simply chosen not to do that :) (Just last week I had a person tell me that I was the "... most fun..." person she knew. I liked that because this person is still very young.)

Before I finally quit eating meat at 38 years of age and many years before while just barely out of my teen years I had tried to become a vegetarian even back then. But, I failed in that attempt after just a little over one year of eating only vegetables and fruit. At that time I failed not because of a lack of self-restraint, but I thought the right thing to do was to eat what was set before me even though it had been cooked with meat in it. Anyway, I didn't make any serious attempt to stop eating meat again for nearly 20 years... with one very brief exception.

It was 1993 and I was 37 and at that time I hadn't eaten meat for five or six months. My wife and I had been invited to eat dinner with someone we hadn't seen for about three years. We drove to her place and I never even thought to mention that I wasn't eating meat, so when we arrived at her trailer she proudly showed us what she had fixed for us: fried chicken! (Lol) I just smiled and told her that it looked, “delicious” and I caught my wife's eye to make sure that she wouldn't say anything about me not eating meat. (I didn't want to hurt this person's feelings as I imagined she had spent some time trying to prepare what she thought I might like.)

So, the next time I decided to quit I was 38 and July 4, 1994 was fast approaching and we had already been invited to a cookout. This time I told everyone (well ahead of that date) that I was planning on becoming vegetarian and I would bring my own things to grill. (This time there was no real chance of hurting anyone's feelings as nothing they cooked would have been prepared especially for me.)

So, maybe it's true... the third time really is a charm for 1994 was the third time I had attempted to stop eating flesh and for the most part it has worked. Of course, not withstanding my fish dinner and now twice with sushi. The thought of a California Roll with soy sauce and Wasabi is making my mouth actually water :) However, I will refrain from actually eating it again but in my mind I will always remember how good it tasted!