A bug's life

While journaling this morning, a huge moth came flying out from under the table and nearly knocked me in the face. Spring has sprung here up in the mountains. The bugs are finding new life. And vegan-me is working through what it means to live with compassionate care for ALL of God's creatures, including those "non-sentient" (aka "not able to feel or emotionally respond ") creatures, like moths and the summer dread up here at camp, mosquitoes.

Vegan values embrace compassionate care for all life, which means honoring all that God has made, including insects, bugs, and rodents. While it is easy to care for "sentient creatures" like cows and dogs, it often becomes a stretch to see the rationale in respecting those creatures that don't have emotional capacity, which are simply annoyances. For me, it is an issue of integrity, which is an important value in my life. Thus, I maintain true to my commitment to compassionate care for all of creation, respecting the life of the "non-sentient", and tolerating those pesky bugs that emerge as the spring warms into summer.

As Joanne Stepaniak writes, "For vegans, the issue isn't finding a reason not to kill but learning what it means to honor life." (Being Vegan, p. 31)

Luckily last summer (my first vegan summer), mosquitoes were not a problem, but it is still an exercise in restraint, not squashing one that has landed, ready to bite. I shake and blow instead, and it seems to work for me. And with bees during barbecues at the picnic area, I simply do not bother them and they do not bother me.

Inside, I am learning "compassionate bug capture" for those moths that get in and fruit flies that like my produce. I have a clear plastic cup, which I use to enclose them when they land on a wall or window. I then slip a piece of paper underneath to escort my "new friends" from my home to theirs, out the front door so they can fly and be free, and no longer bother me! Spiders I've learned to ignore, and luckily, I've not had to face ant swarms or rodent invasions in my place. If I do, you'll probably read it on the blog as I cross that ethical vegan dilemma when the time comes.

Though creatures like that are bothersome as the weather warms, I am thankful for the beauty of butterflies that also emerge this time of year. At times there will be one or two which accompany me on a run along portion of our back trails. As I reflect on their transformation from bug to butterfly, they remind me of the many ways my life has been transformed over the years, and I am thankful for the new beauty I see in me as I run.

There are lessons to learn about the Creator from all of creation, including those pesky insects. The author of Proverbs writes: "Four things on earth are small, yet they are extremely wise: Ants are creatures of little strength, yet they store up their food in the summer; coneys are creatures of little power, yet they make their home in the crags; locusts have no king, yet they advance together in ranks; a lizard can be caught with the hand, yet it is found in kings' palaces." (Proverbs 30:24-28)

Startled by the moth earlier this morning, I followed it with my eyes as it flew around a bit before settling and landing. I quietly and slowly found my "bug capture cup" and proceeded to gently but quickly surround it, which I did. I wiggled it around to get it off the ground as the paper slipped underneath. I escorted it out, and released it. "Fly and be free."

Though not as beautiful as the butterflies on the trail, moths too are transformed. With their abundance around camp, they remind me of the transformations, which continue to occur in my life, which are not big, bold, and beautiful, but take place in the mundane decisions of everyday life around here. As I reflect on those, vegan-me is thankful. God is good, as I choose to praise the Creator, even for insects and bugs. We'll see however how thankful I am for mosquitoes this season.

You run some. You lose some. Praise God anyway.

My plan for TODAY was to run 13.1 miles in the Santa Cruz Half-Marathon. The only problem: The event occurred YESTERDAY, and I totally missed it. I had it in my calendar for today, April 13, and since registering and paying $55, I could have sworn it was on the Sunday of this weekend, but no. It was on the Saturday, April 12. And unfortunately I didn't discover my error until Saturday morning, as I finally sat down to read the reminder emails with parking instructions, route information, and so forth.

People have different motivations in running, and one motivation for me has been food. Missing the race, I "eat" the pre-registration fee, and I lose out on eating what had been my motivation for running this race an hour away in Santa Cruz. After the 13.1 miles I was going to treat myself to vegan chocolate cake at Black China Bakery! Missing out on vegan chocolate cake is probably the most disappointing part of missing the run today (along with losing the registration fee).

I've never been to Black China Bakery before, but after my cousin gave me some vegan chocolate goodies for Christmas from there, a pilgrimage to their location has been my great eating desire. I guess I'll just need to find another excuse to head down there.

In the meantime, with the warmth of spring filling the forest, I will go for a nice leisurely run, clear my head, and enjoy the wonder of new life blooming all around. I may have missed the race, but I will not miss the opportunity today to go out and praise God with all creation for the beauty the Creator has made. I hope you'll find sometime to get out today and enjoy God as well. No matter what happens in life, I believe it is important to praise God anyway.

As I am in the midst of my studies this semester at the Franciscan School of Theology, doing a comparative study of the Canticle of the Creations, may these words of St Francis of Assisi fill you with praise as you rejoice in who God is through all that God has made.

Spring has sprung and the miracle of new life is blooming all over. Let us join with all creation in praise of our Creator.

THE CANTICLE OF THE CREATURES

Most High, all-powerful, good Lord,
Yours be the praises, the glory, the honor, and all blessing.
To You alone, Most High, do they belong,
and who is worthy to mention your name?

Praised be You, my lord, with all your creatures,
especially Sir Brother Sun,
Who is the day and through whom You give us light.
And he is beautiful and radiant with great splendor;
and bears a likeness of You, Most High One.

Praised be You, my Lord, through Sister Moon and the stars,
in heaven You formed them clear and precious and beautiful.

Praised be You, my Lord, through Brother Wind,
and through the air, cloudy and serene, and every kind of weather
through whom You give sustenance to Your creatures.

Praised be You, my Lord, through Sister Water,
who is very useful and humble and precious and chaste.

Praised be You, my Lord, through Brother Fire,
through whom You light the night
and he is beautiful and playful and robust and strong.

Praised be You, my Lord, through our Sister Mother Earth,
who sustains and governs us,
and who produces various fruits with colored flowers and herbs.

Praised be you, my Lord, through those who give pardon for your love
and bear infirmity and tribulation.

Blessed are those who endure in peace
for by You, Most High, they shall be crowned.

Praised be You, my Lord, through our Sister Bodily Death,
from whom no living man can escape.
Woe to those who die in mortal sin.
Blessed are those whom death will find in Your most holy will,
for the second death shall do them no harm.

Praise and bless my Lord and give Him thanks
and serve Him with great humility.

(If you are interested in watching a YouTube video of the interpretation of the Canticle in "Brother Sun, Sister Moon", the 1972 classic of Francis' life, click here.)
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MY VEGGIE TALE: Part 2 - a running story

(For Part 1 - a weight loss story - see October 21, 2007)

After losing 25 pounds in 6 months at the end of 2004, as an "overweight, unhealthy vegetarian" turned "balanced-diet, exercising carnivore", I was feeling good. I felt like I could do anything - well, almost anything.

I heard about the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society's Team In Training, which is the world's largest endurance sports training program. In early 2005, I received informational material about TNT in the mail, and wondered if running a marathon was something I could do. I attended the meeting in January, and decided on a whim to do it -- to raise money for the organization, and to train with them to run a marathon, or to be more specific, a HALF-marathon. 13.1 miles seemed doable by May, but 26.2? I wasn't so sure.

When I first began "running", it was really more walking than running. I would run a block than walk a block (or 2). Little old Chinese ladies were passing me on my walk-run route along the Great Highway in San Francisco, but I was committed. Everyday before heading to work, I was out there. I was so excited the day I realized that I had run more of my 3 mile route, than I had walked! And when I finally ran my 3 miles without stopping (which includes a half-mile UP HILL), I ate chocolate cake and I didn't feel guilty!

There is, however, a big difference between my 3 miles and a half-marathon -- a 10.1 mile difference to be more exact. The enormity of my task slowly began to settle in the week before our first TNT training. Not wanting to putz out on our first run, I pushed myself a few days before our first Saturday training, and injured myself by straining (what I would find out later to be) my IT band. It was going to be a long spring.

Through the first weeks of training 3 days a week, I would heal, but then re-injure myself as I pushed myself harder than I should. I was getting anxious about being able to run the distance.

It reached a point where the coach said, "Stop it", and I took 2 weeks off to allow my IT to heal completely. The rest did it, and with the strengthening work I was doing with a foam core roller, there was still time for me to train smart and finish the race. And I did, on May 7, 2006 at the Ave of the Giants Half-Marathon in Humboldt County. It took me 2 hours, 13 minutes, and 43 seconds; I hurt my knee at mile 11 and ended up run-walking to the finish, but I did it!

And I was hooked. I got home, registered for the inaugural San Jose Rock-n-roll Half-Marathon in October, and after allowing my knee to heal, I kept at my running, using the training techniques my TNT coaches had taught me, and the principles for "injury-free running" which I was learning through chi-running. On October 8, 2006, I broke 2 hours, running the 13.1 miles in 1:57:42.

In between those 2 races, by my 41st birthday on June 26th, I had dropped another 15 pounds. It took an extra year, but I finally lost the 40 pounds I had wanted to lose by the time I turned 40. I felt like I could NOW do anything, and so I did it. The day after the San Jose Half-marathon, I signed up for my first marathon - the 2007 San Francisco marathon - the FULL marathon, 26.2 miles. Would I be able to do it? I had until July - 9 months - to find out.

Stay tuned for Part 3 of my Veggie-tale, and discover how the carnivore runner transforms into a vegan marathoner.