Ban-the-Bomb Vegan Vibes Midsummer Gathering

Last night my husband and I started talking about hosting what we’re calling a ‘Ban-the-Bomb Vegan Vibes Midsummer Gathering’ at our home this summer. The idea followed a convo we were having about all the frightening saber-rattling going on between North Korea and the U.S. lately. Even our vice president has started issuing threats against Kim Jong-un, and since my husband and I agree that our Commander-in-Chief is a psychic loose cannon, we also agree that there’s good reason to be concerned.

There’s really no way to quantify all the things that are terrifying about that scenario, and aside from peaceful protest and judicious choices at the polls, there’s little to do about it. But we can continue to individually live in peace, even if our appointed leaders will have none of it.

My husband and I have a very cool circle of friends (this get-together will be friends and not family – although we both respect our families, we enjoy the company of our friends better). We call our friends ‘Our People’. These are the beings that we’ve encountered along the way who recognize and appreciate us for who we are, not who they want us to be.

Those who don’t love us - who want us to serve them, comply with their dysfunctions, and leech our time and emotional good health -  we politely wave these folks along as we move away from them. No explanation needed. We’re not their cup of tea, and they’re not ours. And it’s all good. Love to them.

Surround yourself only with the ones who love you fiercely. These are the people we share our path with.

Many of our friends are down with the vegan lifestyle, and those who are not, are intelligent and supple enough to want to party with us even though the party food omits animal products. My husband isn’t a vegan eater, but he digs the lifestyle. And we can serve lots of fresh, whole food from our gardens, which is amazing.

We could do some mindful, nonviolent activism as we’re eating awesome vegan food and enjoying the vibes. Letter-to-the-editor and to public officials’ writing, plans for consumer boycotting, protest sign making, even dyeing some t-shirts for friends – meaningful activities that we can share while we’re hanging out together.

I love getting together with our peeps, but I really love getting together with our peeps while eating fresh garden food and taking steps to make the world a less frightening place. Come barefoot, ready to feel the love, and party like a vegan. We’re planning it loves: I’ll keep you posted.

Live in peace.