If you know me, (and if you're reading this you probably already do), you may know that I'm a vegetarian. I've been a vegetarian for about 7 years now. I've never gone astray, or really wanted to, once I got over the initial hump of cutting out some of the delicious foods I grew up eating. But it was easy, VERY easy to make that change. I feel good about it, and I can't even imagine going back to my old ways. Now, I don't consider myself to be one of those PETA loving in-your-face preachy types when it comes to this stuff, so I apologize if any of what I'm about to write comes off as such. My whole family still eats meat, as do all my friends. I don't care. It's my choice to not eat that stuff as much as it is their choice to eat whatever they want.
That said, as a vegetarian, I completely disagree with using animals for our benefit. Just because we're "higher-up on the food chain", doesn't mean a damn thing to me. Now, I'm not just talking for human consumption, but as materials to create items that can also be made out of man made materials. As far back as I can remember, I've never been a fan of wearing animals. The idea of it pretty much always weirded me out. Again, I don't care what other people choose to buy and wear, but it's just not for me. Anyway, when I was younger, my sister wanted a leather coat, and my parents were going to get her one, and asked me if it's something I'd want too. The idea never appealed to me, and I declined. I've ended up not buying things that I would otherwise find cute upon finding out that they were embellished with rabbit fur, or made of leather or suede.
As I made the conscious decision to cut out eating meat, I became a lot more conscious of not only what I was putting into my body, but what I was putting on the outside. For about a year and a half I was also a vegan, which, yes, was a pain at first, but after a while became second nature to read every food label possible before deciding to eat or buy something. The vegan "phase" didn't last long, as I am madly in love with cheese, and vegan cheese just doesn't compare. But, I still marched on as a veg.
So, let me fast forward a little for you. I live in Rochester, NY, and if you've heard of it, you probably also know that it snows like a mother up here. I know this, I've lived here for the whole 26 years I've been alive. I'm also going to add that when it comes to winter, I still make stupid decisions. For example, today. Now, I've been meaning to get some shoes that aren't ballet flats (I LIVE in those), and today it became a necessity.
It snowed all yesterday, and I'm assuming through the night; so when I went out to walk to my car this morning, I was met with a good five or six inches of snow. I'm aware that it isn't a lot of snow, but I would like you to also consider that I was wearing ballet flats and had to walk a good 15-20 feet to my car. And then clean off my car. After 10 minutes of doing so, I was able to hop in and head to class. My feet were freezing and soaking wet, rightfully so.
On the way home tonight, I headed over to Target (which I like to refer to as the motherstore) to search for some shoes that would actually cover my feet, or boots. I ended up finding the latter. They were adorable ankle length boots with buttons on the side. Freakin' sweet. Until I got close. Suede. I walked up and down the aisles for a good 10 minutes looking at every other possible option. Another pair of cute boots - suede. And another...suede. Naturally, I was frustrated. I had a flashback of what had happened earlier this morning, and I tried on the boots. They fit perfectly, they were comfy...but they were suede! Moral dilemma. I went back and forth in my head for about another 15 minutes and walked through the store, and all I could think about was my cold, wet feet. I made my way to the register (with a few other items as well). I debated until the very last second. Do I buy them? Or do I stick with everything I've chosen to believe and stand by all this time? Hmmm...decisions, decisions.
I bought the damn boots. I'm not happy about it, but tomorrow morning when I go to clean off my car, my feet sure will be.
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