The Season of Giving

Out of the many holidays we celebrate here in the United States, one of my favorite would have to be Christmas. It is the one of the few times in the year that my family all come together out at my grandparents’ farm. We laugh, we eat A LOT, we open presents, and relax and catch-up around the fireplace in the den. It is a very relaxing time and it always seems no matter what is going on outside in the world, there is always a sense of serenity and happiness out at the farm.

Naturally, whenever I met Stacey I wanted to make sure she could experience this and hopefully, want to keep coming back time and time again. Jump ahead nearly 3 years and we are now getting married in less than 2 months (get EXCITED!) so she has certainly had time to appreciate “farm time”. A few months ago though, we were driving, talking about upcoming Christmas season and all of the festivities when a conversation came up that surprised me.

Me: Hey baby, excited for December?

Stacey: YEAH, of course, but it is going to be really busy though

Me: Yeah true, I am looking forward to hanging out at the farm, and seeing your family and the babies but it will certainly be craziness!

Stacey: Yeah, I love the babies! Plus, all my family will be there so we will all be going to church and maybe volunteering.

Stacey: Does your family ever volunteer at a soup kitchen or homeless shelter or anywhere?

Phil: Hmmm, I don’t think so, wait, are you serious?

Stacey: Are YOU serious?

We then proceeded to have a conversation about even though we always enjoyed family time, more people than we realize don’t have to opportunity to share that enjoyment. I certainly had thought about volunteering in the past but once the holidays came around, it seemed as though we were always in a rush or made more plans than we had time. Stacey and I both agreed though that “family time” was often one of the happiest times of the holiday season. Considering how much we both valued it, we wanted to make sure others experienced it as well.

So we made a pact!

Stacey and I decided that this upcoming Christmas season, we were going to volunteer at a soup kitchen or homeless shelter one day in hopes that we can bring some “family time” to people who are not as fortunate as ourselves. We figured through all the rush and plans of the holidays, giving up one afternoon would not change our plans and hopefully, bring happiness to many others. 

So as I sit here typing this Mid-October morning, my mind begins to think of all of the excitement of this upcoming holiday season, of all the fun and festivities to be had. But I also realize how thankful I am. I am thankful for many things/people in my life but without a doubt, one person is Stacey.  Among many amazing qualities, she reminds me how no matter what good and bad we all experience throughout the year, this holiday season and many others after it should truly be the season of giving.

What positive changes are you making for this upcoming holiday season?

The Accidental Vegetarian

Certain people lack the affinity for the taste, smell, and even look of meat. 

I am not one of them.

Some people grow up learning a tremendous amount about vegetarianism.

I am not one of them either.

Growing up in Northeast Tennessee, eating meat is a way of life. No matter where you go, you are most likely within 10 minutes of a Pal’s and the smells never cease to be amazing. When Fall rolls around, you can bet every Target and Walmart in the area will be stocked with grills and accessories and to this day, I have a plethora of memories of Ben, my dad, and I, sitting throughout that sea of orange in Neyland Stadium eating hotdogs and pizza. So it is safe to say while growing up that becoming vegetarian never entered my mind.

I went through college as an undergrad and then started living in Grenada and England and in doing so, starting learning about many different diets, cultures, religions, and outlooks on life. I took it all in but still stayed strong to my meat-eating roots. 

After living in England, I moved back to Grenada where life was certainly different once again from the United States. Because of the price and availability of certain meats in Grenada, one sometimes had to tweak their eating regiment to not become hungry or broke. 

Considering I ate dinner with my fiancé’ Stacey every night; buying,cooking, and eating meat sometimes became a chore. By the end of the day, we were tired and needed to study.

So I took up Meatless Mondays!

Each Monday, to save time and money, I wouldn’t eat meat that day. I would eat fruit and coffee for breakfast, a veggie sub for lunch, and then for dinner Stacey and I would cook something healthy and quick. We did this for many weeks without fail so I was surprised one Tuesday when after a Meatless Monday I arrived at the end of day and once again I had not eaten meat. At the time, I didn’t really think much of it, I just went on to bed. As the weeks passed though, I spent fewer and fewer days eating meat. It wasn’t ever a conscious decision, nor did it stress me out that much. If an amazing meat dish came my way, I wasn’t against trying it, but I didn’t spend part of each day making sure I was eating meat. 

Then something changed....

I went out to the restaurant Calabash and it was very busy that night. Around Stacey and I, many people were ordering their favorite cut of meat or the chef’s meaty special. As I looked around at all of the fancy dishes containing meat a thought entered my head: I didn’t crave any of this. I am sure each dish would have been delicious in their own way but I there wasn’t a single dish on the menu that night that I just had to have. I proceeded to order the special soup and salad of the night and upon leaving the restaurant, I was completely content with myself. But I became aware my body/mind had changed and I hadn’t even realized it.

From then on meat hasn’t been part of my diet. I can't say I never ate meat again but meat just doesn’t enter my mind like it used to. My one vice is every birthday in which I have known Stacey, she has surprised me with a Southern style breakfast: skillet cooked bacon, eggs cooked in the bacon grease, and a toasted bagel. (It is AMAZING) But when I look back on my diet, it makes me happy that nowadays, I accidentally became vegetarian, now I continue this trend 364 days out of the year.

What accidental changes have happened to you for the better??

Seeing the City From Rural Eyes

I’ll admit it, before ever setting foot in the greater NYC area, I had this idea in my head of how it would look and feel. As I packed up in my life in TN, my mind was already set of the different foods I would try and the people I would meet. I thought that after a week or two I would have seen all of NYC so that I could I could easily give advice on this bookstore or that pastry shop. A little over a month later I am still trying to figure out who a typical “New-Yorker” is and have made some realizations

• New York City is HUGE

New York City is in-fact a group of boroughs that each in themselves are cities. They have their own government systems and post offices and even the zip codes can differ from place to place. Last Friday I visited a good friend in Brooklyn (I am in Staten Island) and it took me over an hour to get there one-way! It is only 7 miles but I never thought 7 miles could take so long. A fun fact I discovered was if Brooklyn wasn’t considered part of NYC, it would be the third largest city in the United States!

• New York City has an INCREDIBLE amount of people

Besides the millions of people that call NYC home, thousands of tourists visit NYC every day of the year. From the Statue of Liberty to Times Square to Central Park and the Empire State Building, there are so many attractions that even seasoned New Yorkers could spend months if not years exploring and never see the same place twice. Think you have driven in heavy traffic? Try driving across the Verrazano bridge into Brooklyn at 11 in the morning or better yet, experience 10 lanes coming into 2 crossing the George Washington bridge leaving NYC. If you are going to live in NYC, getting used to traffic is a must.

• New York City truly is THE MELTING POT

A fact that amazes me to this day is how many languages are spoken in NYC. Stacey and I were walking through Manhattan last weekend and within the span of an hour we heard at least 20 different languages. As that is amazing, Stacey really shocked me when she informed me that over 100 languages are spoken every day in NYC! Talk about diversity! When you drive through different parts Brooklyn or Queens you see entire communities of many types of people. You can be eating at a Chinese restaurant surrounded by a Chinese school and grocery store then two streets over, schools, stores, even buses are all written in Hebrew. It amazes me how so many different cultures and communities can come together and call one place home. New York City truly is amazing and thus far, I have truly enjoyed seeing and experiencing the city from rural eyes.

What do you like about New York City?