Meat

this morning i was thinking in the shower (most of my best thoughts come while running, or cleaning up after my run!).
i was thinking about meat.
i've been thinking about meat a lot recently.
meat is one of those things that has always been a part of my life. i like meat...i really do - but since coming back from india i think about meat differently.

the first time i remember really "thinking" about meat was in the Katun's house. It was my last day at prem don...the day we had to say good-bye to the katuns. Rozie had asked if she could cook a meal for us...and of course we said yes. We got there, and it was a great morning, hanging out, sitting, watching Rozie cook. And she had meat for us. meat, of all things. it was goat. it was tough. it was not a great cut of meat by any stretch...but it was this incredible gift, this sign of her love...they bought meat! they don't have extra money. i know they don't eat meat that often...yet they gave us meat. i was overwhelmed by their gift.

then, when i got home, i was shocked to eat meat so "often" - pretty much everyday...in India we'd have meat for dinner once or twice a week, and i kind of got used to it.

and i read "Rich Christians in an age of hunger" and it talks a lot about resource distribution, and how meat impacts the environment and the poor...and how there are countries where people are starving, but they grow grain and feed cows, and ship them off to america for us to eat, cause they can make more money that way...that doesn't seem "right" to me.

and...it takes 2500 gallons of water to produce a pound of beef...and 25 gallons of water to produce a pound of wheat.

so, all this comes together in my heart...and i'm intentionally not eating meat...at least not as much. my "goal" is to eat meat once a week...the problem is i keep forgetting, and i end up eating meat. so, slowly, slowly, i'm taking steps - a new aspect of loving God that He is slowly revealing. sometimes i feel overwhelmed by the process, by what i'm learning, by all the things that need to change in my life if i'm serious about caring about my body, the earth and the poor when i shop and eat...sometimes i feel like it can be paralyzing. sometimes i think if i'm not going to go "all in" then why bother making changes at all. don't worry though, i haven't given into that idea yet...i know that every small change i make adds up...and i know God's slowing transforming every partof me...one moment, one decision at a time.

honestly, giving up meat isn't a huge sacrifice for me....i mean, i like it and all but its not a huge deal...but i just found out that it takes 140 liters of water to produce a cup of coffee...now that...that would be more of a sacrifice!