[Moriah] New Year's Resolution & Pet Sitting

Woo hoo, my first update for the year! I can't believe it's 2005 already...



With the new year here I've decided to make some changes in my life, changes I hope will be positive ones. No, these are not "New Year's Resolutions." These are changes I hope to continue with far past this year. The first of these is my movement to becoming a total vegetarian; no more lacto-ovo for me. I want to clear my conscience of all the suffering animals go through in order to end up on someone's plate, or in someone's glass, for human pleasure. Many vegetarians believe eating free-range eggs and dairy products like cheese is ok because there isn't as much suffering for the animals and they don't die in the process. Quite the contrary, there is almost more animal suffering in these industries than there even is in the slaughter of animals for meat. Besides, what do you think happens to dairy cows and egg-laying hens when they can no longer produce up to par? If any of you feel compelled to understand the truth behind these industries, let me know and I will e-mail you and tell you about it, or you can read the book: "The Vegan Sourcebook" by Joanne Stepaniak. For now, just understand that I believe all animals feel the same love, pain, sadness, excitement and will to live that humans do and I feel strongly opposed to using them for human pleasure and/or consumption. Perhaps someday I will be completely vegan, but for now I am focusing on the move to total vegetarian. Since I know I'll hear these age-old questions over and over - "Where do you get your protein? Where do you get your calcium?" - let me say that you can get all the protein, calcium, iron, riboflavin, and even vitamin B12 from a healthy well-balanced vegan and/or vegetarian diet. There are enough vitamins and minerals in grains, seeds, nuts, legumes, fruits and vegetables to cover all the daily requirements if a well-balanced diet is eaten.



The second change that I will be making is graduating from college and moving on into the "real world." This semester, along with taking my last three classes for school, I will also be taking a home course to become a professional pet sitter and dog-walker through Pet Sitters International. Wherever Daniel and I move after we graduate, I plan to set up my business right away. I decided I wanted to do this as a career this past year while seriously taking a look at what I wanted in life. Since I can't be a

professional musician, I decided I wanted to do something with animals. I know what it's like not to want to put your little family member in an unfamiliar kennel while you're away. I would much rather have them stay at home where the environment is familiar so they don't get even more sad and depressed than they already do while family's away. And since I love animals so much, I figured this would be a great career for me. I am adding in the dog-walking part of it because I know many career people don't have a lot of time to take their dogs for walks each day while they're at work, and perhaps those who have difficulty walking may want their loved one to be able to get out and enjoy some exercise. I think this would be a great opportunity to befriend many dogs and get them out of the house for some much needed walking and fun. However, I do plan to become a member of a community band someday when my arms can handle it. I will never give up on my passion for music. Perhaps this way I can enjoy the benefits of both worlds.



Well, that's it for now. I will try to update again soon. And, as I said, if anyone has any questions for me, e-mail me and I'll do my best to answer.