And That's A Wrap Folks

laughing into the sunset with friends at The Bye and Bye

As of January 28th, the one year experiment is over. I managed to turn 44 and complete a whole year of not eating packaged food or beverages (except for a 4 day timeout during a difficult trip to the mid-west).

I/we celebrated on the 29th with a brunch at the house. I wanted to have actually completed the full round before celebrating. Brunch was good. I finally managed to make some "field roast" sausages, and to my surprise they were damn good and easy to make! If you want to make your own check out the recipe on Post Punk Kitchen. There is also a link to an amazing amount of varieties. I really want to make a super spicy batch for some Italian dinner night to come soon.

There was also an amazing amount of citrus. I picked up a bottle of 360 vodka so I hand juiced a good amount of grapefruit and cara cara, hamlin, navel, and blood oranges.  It was the first time in over a year that I had consumed an alcoholic beverage that wasn't a micro brew. It was good. The company was excellent, and the conversations were inspiring.

Many questions about what I will do next, but I want to talk about what I've learned in these 365 days.

The first thing I learned was, actually the first thing I realized, I've come away with is a greater faith in myself. I mean I really fucking did this! In many ways it was easy, but only because of where I live, work, and play. But I learned that I can put my mind to something and really do it. There is some discipline in this old gal after all. So maybe I am ready to take on a Spanish course.

I have a much deeper connection to my food sources then ever before. As a vegan with an ethical stance on what my food is not, I've develop a great awareness of what i do not want in my foods. But what about what my food is in? What happens after I've consumed the food? What is the whole picture of consumption? This whole year has brought the attention I've paid over the years to the land, water, air, plants, animals, social justice, human rights, self care, and community all into one package... well un-packaged it all right in front of me actually.

My body feels better than it ever has... mostly. This was a rough year on my old bones. I have spent most of my life relatively injury free... eerily so considering how active I usually am. But this year 2 bike crashes have left me with long weeks of healing up and moving slow. I gave up going to the gym this year for some odd reason, I just couldn't bring myself to go inside to workout. That being said, my body feels leaner and stronger than ever. I consumed way more beer and coffee than I normally would because they were the best choices wherever I was. I explored teas that I normally wouldn't have tried. My food became ever more simple. And my body is feeling great. My mind is clear. And my heart... My heart feels full and open.

I can understand the mind and body, but the heart... Maybe it is the lack of preservatives. Maybe it was the last bike fall that really jarred that part of my ribs. Perhaps I have been able to just open myself up more lately in general and this was just the natural outcome? I like to think that as our foods become "cleaner" and with less harm, it is going to have some kind of effect on those of us that consume it. Perhaps it is that community has become something that has infiltrated my being to its very core.

Without community and friends to support me and give me reasons to try new things I wouldn't have wanted to do this. Without a community of farmers around me, I wonder how much I would be inspired to eat food that had the fewest steps between them and me. And this continues to be my passion. The fewest interruptions between the farmer and me.

Flying Onion Farm... every week I get some of my food from this amazing farm

I was recently introduced to the NPR show On Being. The first episode I listened to was on Grace Lee Boggs. And this 96 year old woman rocked my world in every way. I encourage people to listen at least to the podcast... its the one on Detroit. In fact that entire section Becoming Detroit is inspiring. Detroit has been dealing with the Global economic crisis for 30 years. We have a lot to learn from a community that created movement by building communities and working together; knowing that government is NOT the answer. Government/jobs are NOT the solution. Our imagination, our creativity to solving daily challenges (like food and housing), finding what is possible within ourselves is where we need to look.

There are some phrases I heard during the many podcasts I listened to that I'm trying to figure out how to turn them into actions: "revolution of values" "to name to create to claim" (this one is actually in my notes and I think it is a mixture of everything I've been reading, thinking, hearing), and "we traded quality of life for making a living", I don't think it was making a living but something like that.

So these are the things running amok in my mind when people ask me if I'll go back, or if I will stay on this path. My answer is... Mostly I will stay on this path. I can't imagine going back to boxed food. This week I really wanted to go to a movie, so I stopped into a local theater. The smell of popcorn got to me, so I ordered popcorn and a soda for the first time. Normally I just get a pint of beer and call it good (beer comes in reusable cups and sodas do not). I felt like shit! From now on, its back to bringing my own popcorn (Portlanders, have you tried that new white popcorn that we have? it is amazingly light and fluffy!) and having a micro brew, or nothing at all.

To be honest, I miss burritos. It may be the only food I truly missed and this weekend its burrito reintegration.

What will I do next? That is a big question and I do not have an answer, but I am open to the possibilities and the challenges.

I will keep doing a blog, but I don't know if I will make a new one or just keep going with this one.

I really want to thank so many people who never once thought what I was doing was crazy, or ridiculous, or pointless. Not one person around me discourage me or challenged me in a negative way! Instead what I received was so much support, great gatherings, pep talks, creative solutions, and so much willingness to go along on this journey with me. What a fortunate person I have to have all of you around me, and I hope I support you in your personal challenges as well.

Its amazing what we receive when we give up garbage.