I am a part of a community.

So this whole internet veganism thing started as a test, both to see if I could do it, and if I could find people who could help support me. Turns out, I have been pleasantly surprised.

I thought that this transition would be extremely difficult, but having the support and expertise of the online community, through blogs, twitter, forums, etc. has really shown me that not all vegans are the die-hards I anticipated. They're all people who, while they make choices that are still, in many ways, unconventional, they have struggled in their relationships just as I have. And most of them are reasonable people like me.

I want to change the world, but I don't want to scare away the people that I love. I want to be open-minded, and the best way to do that is to keep doing what I have been doing. I am still on the learning path, and I hardly have this whole vegan-thing figured out. What I do know is that without such a supportive vegan community, I would have given up out of fear and loneliness. Thank you, everyone who has supported me thus far. Without your advice, I would have quit striving long ago.

-vi