Hello, and welcome to Eight Years In! And if you’re a returning reader, welcome back, and thank you! Now, if you’ve been reading my posts recently, you’ll know that I celebrated my nine year vegan anniversary not too long ago. And I wanted to talk about the practice of having and celebrating your vegan anniversary. Because there is a significance to it, if you ask me. So let’s get into it, shall we?
What exactly is a vegan anniversary?
If you haven’t heard this term before, all your vegan anniversary is, is an acknowledgement and possible celebration of the day you first went vegan. (Or, for some, the day you first decided to go vegan. For most, the distinction isn’t that different, but some will decide to celebrate one over the other.)
It really is that simple! You remember the day you went vegan, and reflect on it, if you feel so inclined. (Which I often do.)
Why is this worth celebrating?
I know many of you in the “veganism is the moral baseline” camp will find this idea of a vegan anniversary celebration a bit silly. I mean, why should you get brownie points for something that you should have always done in the first place?
But going vegan is something to celebrate! First of all, In my opinion it’s always good to acknowledge the little wins and improvements.
Other than that though, going vegan is a pretty big victory even if you believe it to be a moral baseline. Because in this day and age in society, you really have to be able to change the way your brain has been taught to think by your parents and peers and media. You’ve made a big stride mentally and that’s a big deal!
Not only that, but the difference you make being vegan is worth celebrating! The water that you save, your lowered carbon footprint, and certainly not least, the animal deaths that you cease contributing to!
In my opinion, you ought to take a moment out to celebrate these things. It is easy to get burnt out as a vegan if you only focus on the large-scale atrocities and think there’s nothing you can do to stop it. On some level, it’s true. You can’t make all of animal use, abuse and killing stop this instant. But you can change your own actions and use your sphere of influence to contribute to the world moving in the other direction. And if you fail to give yourself credit for the little wins, you’re much more likely to get burnt out.
It doesn’t have to be your vegan anniversary. But it’s a good opportunity to semi-regularly give yourself props and encouragement for your ability to influence your life and your world.
That special day
It’s true, anniversaries denote a specific day. And to be honest with you, if I had one to remember, I would probably agree. It’s not so much that I went vegan gradually and don’t know where exactly to draw the line, although I know some people who are in that situation. But no, for me, I just didn’t think to note the date back when I first decided to take the plunge, as it were.
So I don’t have a specific day, but that doesn’t really bother me too much. Whenever the end of March comes around, I know that it was around that time that I made one of the best decisions of my life. And that’s good enough for me. If I want to do something specific to celebrate, then I just pick a day. It’s not really that big of a deal.
What to do to celebrate
So if your vegan anniversary is something to be celebrated, then what is it that you do for it? Birthdays you eat cake and ice cream and open presents, wedding anniversaries you go on a date with your partner, but what do you do for your vegan anniversary?
Well, it’s true everyone celebrates this differently. But I have a couple of fun ideas that you could try in order to celebrate!
- Visit a vegan restaurant
I think this is probably the first thing that comes to mind when I think about celebrating a vegan anniversary. To be fair, food is my first thought when celebrating nearly any occasion, and I’m not alone in that.
But it’s also a fun way of sharing veganism with others who might not otherwise experience it. Going to a vegan restaurant means that all who go will be able to experience a vegan meal, which can be new for some.
Not only that, but there’s something quite satisfying about going to an all vegan restaurant, especially if you live in an area where veganism is uncommon. You get to order anything on the menu that sounds good without having to ask questions or analyze anything. And you get to feel this welcoming sense of ease and normalcy. Not to mention, it’s good to support vegan businesses with our money when we can.
- Go to a farm sanctuary
A farm sanctuary is another great idea if you’re looking for an activity to share with others. With your veganism, you have reduced the demand for farm animals’ use abuse and death, and by going to a farm sanctuary you can connect with them in a more tangible, fun way.
This is also a good idea for animal lovers who have stopped going to zoos based on ethical qualms. You still get to see the animals that you love!
- Volunteer somewhere
For those of you whose focus is doing good in this world but want to have fun at the same time, you might consider volunteering to celebrate your vegan anniversary!
If you want ideas for how to get started with volunteering, you can read this post. But in general, volunteering can be a really fun, enriching opportunity. And it can be a great activity to mark a celebration, as well.
- Look at your stats and reflect on what you’ve learned
And then the reflective bit, because let’s be honest, this day is meaningful to reflect on. Look at the stats for how much of a difference you’ve made! You can find these by typing how long you’ve been vegan into the Vegan Calculator.
I like to also reflect on what I have learned from my practice of veganism, and each year it’ll be different. I think for the first few years it was more about the practices of animal agriculture and things that were or weren’t vegan that surprised me, but the longer I’ve been at this, the more I find myself learning about who I am and human nature in general, and I find that very valuable indeed. If you’re interested in hearing what I have learned in my nine years as a vegan, read this post.
Whatever it is for you, set aside some time to acknowledge that you’ve done a good job. You’re trying to make a positive impact on the world and reduce your negative one. That is both exciting and admirable. I am proud of you, and thank you sincerely for all you do.
And if you’re reading this because it just so happens to be your special day, happy anniversary! If you’re a vegan or interested in vegan content, follow the blog to get updates when new posts go live. Thank you, as usual for reading my thoughts.