🌱 Why I’m Vegan

I didn’t slowly become vegan — I’ve always felt like I was vegan at heart, even if I wasn’t taught to be. And then one day, I realized it. I flipped a switch. Just like that. Everything clicked into place, and I knew I could never go back.

🦃 Sergeant Gobbles

When I was a kid, I had a pet turkey named Sergeant Gobbles. She was amazing — full of personality and affection. I learned how loving and intelligent turkeys are. One night, a raccoon killed her, and I was heartbroken. I never ate turkey again after that… except on Thanksgiving. Even then, I always felt horrible about it.

That was probably the first time I realized animals aren’t here for us — they’re here with us.

🐓 The Chicken Farm

Years later, when I started focusing on my health, I thought I was doing the right thing by buying “pasture-raised” eggs and “grass-fed” beef. I even visited a local chicken farm once. The farmer was kind and proud of her work. I met the chickens, saw the green fields… and then she took me inside the barn.

That’s when I saw the “cone of death,” the drain in the floor, and smelled the metallic scent in the air. She showed me the machine used to remove feathers after slaughter. I bought a chicken that day — it cost $30 — but that was the last chicken I ever ate. I couldn’t shake what I’d seen.

🐄 The Crying Cows

A few years later, I went camping next to a dairy farm. All night long, the cows were crying. I couldn’t sleep. I kept telling the person I was with, “Something’s wrong with those cows.”

After I watched Dominion the following year, I recognized those same cries — the sound of mothers calling for their babies as they’re taken away. That was the moment I made the connection. When I bought cheese or dairy, I was paying for that suffering.

🥩 The Wedding

At my sister’s wedding, there were three meal options: filet mignon, chicken or fish, and a vegan dish. I had ordered ahead of time but couldn’t remember what I chose. When the food came, it was the filet mignon. I wanted to switch but didn’t want to make a scene, so I tried to eat it.

Halfway through, I found a piece of metal from the grill in the steak. I put down my fork and never ate meat again. I walked down to the beach and sat by the water while everyone else finished their meals.

It was one of the best steaks you could buy, but I didn’t see it as “steak” anymore — I saw it for what it really was.

🐈 Losing Pickles

The most personal moment came when my cat, Pickles, passed away. He was my best friend. Losing him made me realize how deeply I loved him — and how I was still paying for other animals to be killed for me.

I didn’t need to. None of us do. We can live healthy, even healthier, without taking anything from animals. I also learned that it’s one of the best things you can do for the planet and for other humans.

There’s really no downside to being vegan… except how people might treat you sometimes. But I’ve learned not to care what others think. I know I’m doing my best. When Pickles died, I made a promise — to him, and to all animals — that I would never pay for their suffering again.

🌿 Reflections

I’ve always cared about life. My ex once had a plant she nurtured from a tiny sprout into something beautiful. A storm destroyed it, and she cried as if she had lost a friend. I thought, if we can care that much for a plant, how can we not care for animals we can’t see?

After Pickles died, I thought about how we treat death in general — we don’t eat our pets, and we don’t eat humans, because we respect them even after they’re gone. Yet we do far worse to animals than we’d ever do to the worst people on Earth. And they’re innocent.

That’s when I decided I didn’t want to live selfishly anymore. I wanted to live selflessly. To use my life for something that matters.

🐖 Looking Back

I was lucky growing up. My family had birds, chickens, ducks, pheasants, peacocks, and horses. I also knew a pig named Reba. But my favorite was always Sergeant Gobbles. Spending so much time around animals taught me early on that they’re all individuals — each with their own personality, their own desire to live.

💚 The Promise

I’m vegan for them — for the ones who never had a choice.

For Sergeant Gobbles, Pickles, Reba, and every animal whose voice isn’t heard.

Thank you for reading.

If this message resonates with you, consider sharing it — or just take a moment to think about the animals we can’t see. Compassion starts with awareness. 🌎💚