OPINION p. 7

A few of my favorite things

For some reason I always feel the need to write about getting out of some kind of slump or rut. Perhaps that is because my own personal life has been something less than joyful this semester. Senioritis hit hard, as did a few other illnesses. But I can’t write a “Be Well” column and pretend that I am the master of health and wellness. I can’t sit here and lecture you all about how you shut down when things get too hard, because I am just as guilty as you are.

So, in a desperate attempt to motivate myself (and to get into the Thanksgiving spirit), I have resorted to the old-fashioned form of writing a list of things I am thankful for. I know it sounds lame, but you know what? It works. Go ahead and write out all the things you need to do (and make sure to include the things you’ve already done just so you can cross them off). But after you’re done and have calmed down from realizing you have two exams this week, write an “I’m thankful for…” list. Write down everything: air, your dog, your cat, not completely bombing that Christian Theo exam—whatever it is, write it down. The small, silly things may not be as small and silly as you thought they were.

Jot them down as a list, or as an essay—it doesn’t matter. And if this is beginning to sound like some sappy “Be happy!” article, then do your own investigating. From what I found during my own research on the subject, people who write gratitude lists at least once a week for three months are 30% happier and healthier than those who don’t. If you are having a little trouble getting started, think about some of these things:

1. Your favorite smell2. The best day you’ve ever had3. The most exciting car ride you’ve ever taken 4. Your favorite holiday5. Something that makes you feel “alive”Pretty soon you’ll see all of the things you’ve been blessed with, and you’ll realize that the triviality of daily

living won’t last forever. So pick up a pen! Now! I triple-dog-dare you.

By Jessica MalloyColumnist

Editorial: My beef with meatI felt slightly guilty as I sat down.

The small serving of meat on my plate stared up at me. I tried to not look. It had no right to look at me like that. I hadn’t decided yet wheth-er I was really going through with this or not; I still felt guilty as I sat down next to my vegetarian friend. Sarah just laughed as I ate that meat, and boy was it good. Serves it right.

I’m considering a change, though. My beef with meat all started this summer when I went a week on strictly fruit and nuts. The next week I added in a few starches, milk prod-ucts and some caffeine. The third week I finally added in meat, sugar and anything else I had been neglect-ing.

Now, I didn’t just one day decide I was going to stop eating like a nor-mal human. My mom and I talked about the diet and made plans ahead of time, so I had supplements and enough fruit and almonds on hand to keep me alive. But while those three weeks held their challenges, it was actually really fun. I felt healthy, truly healthy by the end of the first week.

That brings us to this semester. A vegetarian diet did cross my mind near the beginning, but I was feeling pretty good. I also reminded myself it would be terribly difficult to find a full meal in the cafeteria without meat. As a result, the dismal thought was promptly pushed under all my homework.

The thought resurfaced this week as I pushed an anonymous piece of meat around my plate. I’ve seen my vegetarian friend Sarah Bauer exist quite contentedly on cafeteria food for these past two and half years, and it became clear that changing my diet wasn’t impossible.

I wasn’t going to jump in without a clue like a penguin in shark-infested waters, though. Research is a journal-ist’s best friend, so here I am doing my research, which I will now par-tially share with you. First, research either supplements or food that can provide the protein, iron, vitamin D and vitamin B-12 your body needs.

Vitamin B-12 is honestly best to just buy from a health store.

Another fact that may help you as you consider this new diet is that there are various types of vegetar-ians. Not all of them are as extreme as others. I’ll probably be in the less-extreme category.

My last little tip is to go into this with someone else or at least have others support you. My mom helped me make my diet over the summer a success. She bought more fruit and loaded up the freezer with almonds and walnuts so I would have plenty to munch on. If you really want to change what you eat, let your friends know. Just be sure you really want to be a vegetarian, because if you go back to your old ways, an odd little feeling will follow you as you pick up that oily slab of cow and slip it be-tween your guilty lips.

By Riah LawryManaging Editor