11/30 Just Dive In
We are home from our trip to Florida. I have found it difficult to get back into the swing of things. The sunny beach felt immune to the stress and hustle of the holidays, but here we are. We did so many memorable things in Florida that I hardly know what to share first. I’ll begin with the Run….the main purpose for the trip.
Our second half marathon was better than I could have imagined. We ran every step talking, laughing and soaking in the sun. We are very social runners meaning a three hour run is an opportunity to catch 
up on our gabbing. Unlike last year’s run, the fear was gone, the pain never came.
The finish line felt like an infusion of effervescent joy. A female member of our U.S military put my brilliant medal around my neck and my heart almost ruptured with pride and joy. I was a finisher of this fantastic half marathon.
We partied like rock stars with our family, then watched the most magnificent sun setting over the Gulf of Mexico. Not a bad way to spend the day and get in a workout.
The next day we went to Shell Key Preserve. It is an uninhabited island just south of St Pete Beach. The island is small enough to walk from end to end in a few hours.
You access the island via the Shell Key Shuttle (pontoon boat driven by a very tan man). They drop you off with a beach umbrella, snorkel 
gear and a bag for your shells. You then walk around for hours and hours looking for shells and soaking in the beauty. 
You may help yourself to all the shells you desire as long as they are not being used as homes by sea creatures.
Shell Key is a bird preserve overseen by volunteers of the St. Petersburg Audubon Society. It is a nesting area for the most delightful indigenous birds.
Once you are on the island, the ten or 12 other people that you shared the pontoon boat ride with are nowhere to be found and it is like a scene from the Blue Lagoon. It’s just you and nature. The waves crashing, the sun shining and more breathtaking shells than you can possibly gather in the time you have. To say I love it there is like saying I enjoy breathing.
On this trip to Shell Key as I was padding along the soft white sand, I saw a dark figure gliding through the shallow waves. A shark? I called to Sandy and her mom. All of a sudden they surfaced……two, three, five and six dolphins playing in the surf. Flipping, dancing and leaping through the waves. I stood there transfixed. The beauty was overwhelming. I allowed it to flow through me like a warm current, a thread of life and connectivity.
Seeing them in this natural splendor made a connection for me that was so much bigger than simple rationale. It was primal and consuming. We have to, need to, must protect them so they can flip and dance without harm from human error. I used to believe that if I allowed myself to feel beauty of that magnitude, it would be almost too much to bear.
The responsibility, the carelessness, the desire to protect would crash together. Where to start? I heard, Sherry there is too much to do so just do nothing. Look away because its too much, too scary. That belief is what kept me away from veganism for so many years. It was too much…too hard…too many rules. I can’t possibly make an impact, so I will stay snuggled in my vegetarianism. It wasn’t until I found my willingness to try, falter and try some more that I realized that there wasn’t a wrong way at all.
There is no wrong way to to be a vegan wannabe and protect animals. There is certainly not a wrong way to care for the beautiful beings like these dolphins, that we share our space with. Start where you are and try.
Donate five bucks to an organization you admire, enjoy a meatless meal or volunteer with a group to maintain a park, clean a litter box at a shelter or have friends over to watch Forks Over Knives. Don’t make it harder than it needs to be. Every step helps. Every tiny action you do takes you farther away from paralysis and that is what I believe true activism to be. Being active… participating in beauty and honoring the things that we are lucky enough to see when we open our eyes to look.
Have a delicious day.
Tags: Audubon Society, compassion for animals, compassionate eating, gentle activism, plant based diet, Shell Key Shuttle, St. Petersburg Audubon Society, trying vegan, vegan activism, vegan challenge, vegan experience, vegan wannabe
