This blog is about my journey of becoming a writer and the zigzagging road that brought me to veganism and beyond.
Writing: I’ve always had an active imagination. And at ten, I submitted my first short story to a magazine contest. It didn’t win.
Although my English teachers encouraged my creative efforts, and my mother had aspirations of being a writer herself so she understood my compulsion, my father wanted me to pursue a more lucrative career. I don’t really blame his reasoning. He’d already paid for my brother’s Fine Arts degree, and we’ve all heard stories of how difficult that profession can be. So because I was good at math and puzzles, I eventually became an accountant. And I’ll always be grateful to my parents for bankrolling my tuition and books.
As a result of having nowhere to shine, the writer inside me curled into a tiny ball and went dormant. But after years of spreadsheets and business cycles, I revisited my dream and discovered I didn’t know the first thing about writing. So I piecemealed my education by attending classes, workshops, and conferences. It wasn’t easy, but I stuck with it, and now I call myself a writer.
And if you’re wondering why I chose to write under a pen name for my first novel Katy’s Song, “Alison Reese” has extra special meaning to me. Before my mom suffered from a brain injury and lost her ability to care for herself, she created the pseudonym from my childhood nickname. Sadly for me, she never knew I wrote the book or finally published. But, I know without a shadow of a doubt, she would’ve been my number one fan!
Veganism: Most of us know how hard it is to break with family tradition, particularly when it revolves around food. So if I’d been told in my youth that I’d be vegan later in life, I wouldn’t have thought it possible. Meat, egg, and dairy were staples in our household, especially when we lived in Alaska and Texas.
But when “healthy” foods (string cheese, low-fat yogurt, hard-boiled eggs, chicken, fish, etc.) began adding pounds, which in turn affected my energy level, I researched “elimination” diets to determine which ingredients were causing the most problems. Some changes worked for a little while, but all were too complicated for me to maintain long term.
As luck would have it, my brother-in-law loaned me his copy of Eat to Live by Dr. Joel Fuhrman. Although Dr. Fuhrman doesn’t promote veganism per se, results from major studies he cited in the book led me in that direction. But avoiding animal products was only part of the solution. The larger issue was highly-processed foods and artificial sweeteners, so I avoid them whenever possible.
After I decided to bypass vegetarianism and go directly to veganism, friend and author Midge Raymond helped me transition. She recommended her favorite products and recipes, and she pointed me to vegan websites. Her blog Vegan Cheese Tasting is worth a look.
Essays: I hope to find the meaning of life by overanalyzing my journey. (It could happen!?!)
But most importantly, my posts will be about my dear mother and the love she felt for her children, her husband, her horses, her pets, the arts, and her nursing career.
She was way ahead of her time and often faltered under the pressure of fitting into the constricting mold of polite society. And if she hadn’t believed in me so fiercely, I’m certain I wouldn’t be alive today. I love you, Mom!