Vegan lifestyle articles that discuss ways of living in peace with humans, animals, and the environment.
Sarah, Indraloka
Animal Sanctuary
April 2017
Miss Lily Pie, my sweet piglet friend, showed me how easy it can be to simply choose love over food. It was eye opening, soul opening, and most of all heart opening. I knew immediately I had to take the same steps as Miss Lily.
Sarah and Miss Lily...
Someone asked me today, “Why are you vegan? Is it for the health benefits?” My answer was given with a big smile. There are so many reasons beyond health benefits - so many smiling snouts, fluttering feathers, and beautiful eyes… but the most defining moment for me was one day at the sanctuary when I climbed in to snuggle what I THOUGHT was a well fed big pig named Lily Pie, who immediately flopped to the ground and hugged me to her belly. We stayed that way for quite some time, quietly singing to each other and hugging. What happened next still makes me cry…
The person feeding the animals that night climbed in with Lily’s bucket - full of food. Not realizing I was there, they called her and placed it on the ground. Lily looked me in the eye without moving a muscle - and then she hugged me even closer, sighed, and closed her eyes for a quick snooze.
Everyone who has met Miss Lily knows that she screams for food from the
moment she hears the feed-bin open, until an hour later when the bin closes
for the night. At meal time she is not polite, she is not patient, and she
surely does not pause for play when her meal is nearby. (I promise the rest
of the day she is quite kind and ladylike!) I had no idea when I arrived
that night that Lily had not eaten dinner, until that food sat inches away
from her… while Miss Lily Pie, my sweet piglet friend, showed me how easy it
can be to simply choose love over food. It was eye opening, soul opening,
and most of all heart opening. I knew immediately I had to take the same
steps as Miss Lily.
It took some time and patience, more than I would have liked - but along
with a few more lessons from my animal friends, two months later I knew I
had finally transitioned my own lifestyle to match that of my best friend
Lily Pie. My body, mind, and spirit have never felt healthier or more whole,
and each time Lily and I hug I remember how she helped mold where I am
today. I love her, and I am grateful for her unwavering wisdom and heart.
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