Turkeys like my friend Timmy (who lives at Woodstock Farm Animal Sanctuary) are friends, not food.

Today I have been living as a vegan for four years. Thanksgiving Day is my Veganniversary (vegan anniversary). It’s hard for me to wrap my mind around the number four. In so many ways it feels much longer than just four years, but time is funny that way. It also feels like it was just yesterday that I came home from a family gathering where I picked at the sparse vegan-friendly offerings and sat down to my first fully vegan meal, a Thanksgiving Dinner.

In the four years since I opened my eyes to the realities of animal mistreatment in the world, I have learned a great many things. Perhaps it is because I’ve had so many new and wonderful experiences in such a relatively short period of time, that it seems hard to believe that it’s only been four years. The biggest surprise to me was that, despite what I initially thought it would be, veganism is not about restriction and limitation.  Veganism is truly a journey into a world of abundance I never anticipated. I learn more and expand my horizons each and every day as a vegan, particularly when it comes to the astonishing plethora of varied, delicious cruelty-free food options available.  I often feel that if most people knew this- if they had a glimpse of what was waiting in the other side of this compassionate choice- the world would become vegan overnight.

A few weeks ago, the greatly inspiring and fabulous Victoria Moran said to my friend Ben on the occasion of his fourth Veganniversary, “Four years is important. That’s how long it takes to earn a degree.  How Wonderful for you.” Having earned more four-year degrees than the average person, that really means something to me.  I suppose, I’ve earned my degree as a vegan.  Maya Angelou famously said, “When you learn, teach.  When you get, give.”  That’s what VeganMos is. It’s my way of sharing what I’ve learned. It’s also a way to share some of the abundance of delicious vegan food that I’ve found while making this ethical and compassionate transformation in my life.

I believe with all of my heart that one day, in the not too distant future, folks everywhere will be living more compassionate lives. Indeed, it is our only hope for survival.  My Veganniversary wish this year is the same as it has always been.  I wish that everyone would just open his or her eyes and heart and see things how they truly are. See the whole terrible truth. Take the blinders off and see the reality of how our world treats our non-human brothers and sisters. Then, when the shock, horror and despair comes rushing in at this realization, I wish everyone comfort in the knowledge that it need not be this way and that we can change all of this. The power is in our hands to change this awful reality immediately. All we need to do to start to change the world for animals is to make the choice to respect them as the non-human individuals they are and go vegan. One meal at a time.

Happy Thanksgiving.