Hi vegan friends and friends of vegans! I read this article about how being grateful seems to have a positive impact on your mental and physical well-being. So, I decided to start saying thank you more often to some of the people in my life who make the world a better place, starting with my amazing feminist vegan sister!
Dear [Erin],
Thank you for existing. Sometimes when I am totally overwhelmed and think that I am going insane I remember that you exist and I immediately feel less alone. I obviously love the whole family like a madman but you and I have this really unique relationship that, while it has seen its ups and downs, is one of the most amazing things in my life. The best thing about having a feminist vegan for a sister is that you challenge me in a way that other vegans and non-vegan friends just don't. When a random vegan friend criticizes me for my views and demands an explanation I feel threatened and intellectually intimidated, especially if that person has been vegan for longer than I have. Often it leads to defensiveness. The same goes for when non-vegan friends ask me about veganism. Often I get frustrated and can't formulate the right sentences to get my point across without sounding like total turd. When you challenge me I sometimes still get defensive, but somehow you see through my defensiveness to the value of what I am saying that lies beneath.
Your passion and hunger for change and social justice is an inspiration to almost everyone you meet - I say almost because some people just don't get you...but screw them. Your strong feminist values challenge me to reflect on the way I see myself and those around me and your ability to use logic and facts to intelligently defend your views is enviable because as you know, I tend more towards the get overwhelmed and leave the conversation approach to confrontation.
Your willingness to grow and change inspires me to be more open to new things and remind me that the path I am on is not only the only one available. And I am so lucky that you are there to remind me that not living up to the expectation I have for myself doesn't make me a shitty person; it just makes me human.
Having you in the family makes it so much easier to remain strong in my convictions. I love and respect the other members of the family, but sometimes it is difficult to relate to people when they are unwilling or unable to see things from your perspective.
I am so grateful for you. I just thought you should probably know.
Happy Thursday!
-J
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