I’ve recently started making my own stickers for the kids I see at work. Many people have told me that I should make an etsy shop and start selling them too. Would anyone be interested in buying stickers from me if I started doing this? I’d even be willing to make custom designs. I’m always looking for new drawing ideas. Here’s a little sample of some of the ones I’ve done so far:
What a strange sensation. To feel so happy and eager to see what the future holds. I can’t even remember the last time I felt like this. I’m really trying not to get my hopes up. I know that just because I am feeling good now doesn’t mean that things will work out in the end, but even so I can’t help myself. I’ve never been very good at stopping myself from getting carried away by the possibility of happy times to come. Today has been the best day I’ve had in such a long time.
Today I went on a second date with my new vegan friend. Once again, considering the pandemic, we opted for another hike, this time at a local state park. We even planned to have a little picnic with some wine. I am still in disbelief about how cute it was. The weather was absolutely perfect. I got to wear shorts for the first time since last summer. We spent an hour or so exploring the woods together, stopping to examine different wildflowers as we went. We have so many things in common and so much to talk about. It never feels like we have enough time to say all that we want to say.
Once we were finished with our hike, we found a picnic bench under the shade of some tall pine trees to have our lunch. He had prepared everything for us so nicely. He had a cooler and a picnic blanket for us to spread out over the pine needle covered wooden table. I brought some apples and snap pea crisps for us. He brought some fresh berries, hummus, veggies to dip in it, and of course a lovely bottle of red wine. In addition to all of this (as if it wasn’t perfect and adorable enough already) he handed me a bouquet of tulips! In the past, I haven’t really been a fan of being given flowers for holidays and whatnot, but as a spontaneous surprise, it was just too precious to resist. I don’t know if anything like that has ever happened to me on a date before today.
It was so nice to see him relax more and more as we sipped on our glasses of wine. This was the first time I really got to look at him while we talked, given that until now we had only really talked in person while walking. I really enjoyed looking into his pretty blue eyes and examining the details of his handsome face. He even has one of my favorite male haircuts. I really wanted to kiss him when we parted ways this time, but unfortunately did not. It’s awfully strange to date during a pandemic. I’m never sure if he doesn’t want to kiss me or he’s just being respectful and considerate. On my somewhat long drive back home, I kept kicking myself, fearful that it was the former.
I have been on so many dates in the past that ended up being the last I heard from the person. Now that I had decided I really liked him, I was so afraid this would be another one of those instances. But just like after our first date, he messaged me as soon as I got back home telling me what a lovely time he had. Past disappointments have made me so wary of romantic optimism, but I just can’t restrain my excitement. I really like him a lot. I feel so lucky to have met such a wonderful, vegan man. Especially given that he is from the city. It’s a mystery to me why he would even have any interest in seeing me, given that I live an hour away in the middle of nowhere. I’m sure there are plenty of lovely vegan women closer to him that would be more convenient to date. Nothing against him, but I doubt I would make the same effort if my area wasn’t such a veritable vegan desert.
Maybe it’s just the wine, but my heart feels so soft and gooey right now. I can’t help contemplating all of the fun activities we could do together this summer. I already have so many more interesting date ideas that I can’t wait to try. There are so many things I want to tell him and share with him about my life. There are so many questions I want to ask him about his own. I’m so interested to learn all there is to learn about him. He was reading a freaking book while he waited for me to meet him at the park for crying out loud!!! It’s all just too much for me. I’m swooning.
I had nearly forgotten what it feels like to have a crush on someone. For years now, I was only able to associate romantic feelings with regret, sadness, frustration, confusion, and pain. Even writing this post right now gives me a nostalgic feeling of being a love-struck teenager again. It’s so similar to when I used to gush about boys in my diary. I genuinely never thought I would feel that way again. After all, it has been nearly a decade since I have.
I know it’s still an extremely new relationship and that there is still plenty of potential to get hurt, but for the first time in a long time it feels like it’s worth the risk. And even if things don’t end up turning out well for us, I want to have this post to look back on and remember to be grateful for these feelings and this moment that I have right now. I’ll be sure to keep you all posted on how things are moving along. Hopefully after our next date, I’ll finally get that coveted first kiss.
As it states in my about page, I have been toying around with the notion of creating a vegan clothing company. Today, I wanted to share with you the first few sketches I have been working on for T-shirt designs. Keep in mind that these are unfinished. I still have to do a little tweaking and of course add color to them. I also have yet to order a high-quality camera, so these are not the best photos. Hope you like them:
I haven’t yet decided on a name for the brand, so if you have any interesting ideas feel free to leave them in the comments! Also, let me know what you think and if you would enjoy owning a shirt with one of these designs. I would also appreciate any advice someone who has had more experience with graphic design or entrepreneurship may like to share. I will try to keep you posted on any new developments with this project, and I hope you all have a peaceful day! ❤
In my opinion, one of the hardest aspects of becoming vegan is learning to love insects. Some people may not consider it necessary to love and protect insects, considering they are not a part of the animal kingdom. I, however, still count them, and believe that everyone else should as well. They are still conscious creatures that can feel pain, so why harm them? They have a necessary role to play in our world and are no threat to us in most cases.
For some reason, most humans find insects and arachnids to be quite creepy. They didn’t choose to appear that way though, and death is an unjust punishment for a less than desirable appearance. Besides, once you start paying more attention to them, they can almost seem cute. Watching their antennae searching out in front of them, seeing the way they analyze each little piece of their surroundings, wondering what in the world their perspective must be like. All of these things have helped me to make peace with the insects of this earth.
There are still some bugs that will still give me that fearful feeling, but I don’t let that bother me anymore. I remember that they are just a tiny little soul on a journey of their own. I remember that my irrational discomfort in regards to their presence does not justify ending a life. As a vegan, I want to help preserve and cherish all life. It would be hypocritical to exclude bugs from our love and protection. Vegans don’t eat honey for a reason. It is important to make an effort to end the irrational fear of them. It is such a wonderful thing to be able to view a bug as just another cute little sweetie.
So let’s all try to keep our hearts open to insects as well. ❤
Protect the Innocent 