Meat Relapse Dream

Fascinating what the mind will come up with in the middle of the night! A night or two ago I dreamed that I was chewing on something that tasted very bad, had a horrible texture, and was tightly stuck in my throat. I thought, "What the hell is this I'm eating?!?!" Then I looked at what I had in my hand and realized it was a chicken sandwich, like what one would get at a Chick-filet fast food grease bin. I was at once shocked, disappointed and disgusted, wondering how and why I had picked up a chicken sandwich, let alone begun to eat it. Then I decided to spit out what was left in my mouth and choke down what was still in my throat, resolving to be more careful in my future food choices.

Dreams of this type are not unfamiliar to me. I've been having them for years since I had my last drink of alcohol. I'll be in mid swig when I realize what's going on and the feelings that I have in these "drunk dreams" are exactly like what I had in the meat relapse dream the other night. I'm always terribly surprised and disappointed that I've messed up; however, invariably my resolve to continue on down the right path is steadfast. I feel about eating meat much the same as I do about drinking alcohol. It is a thing of the past for me. Not only do I not miss it, but I'm truly thrilled about my future life without it!

Stopping the consumption of meat is not a loss for me at all, but rather an opportunity to fully explore and delight in the bounty and variety of vegetarian cuisine : ) Browsing the produce section is way more fun than I ever imagined it could be; furthermore, I'm now unconcerned about getting my hands covered in scary bacteria like I used to be when shopping in the meat section. Same goes for my cutting board. I'm pitching the old one that I used for meat and happily slicing, dicing, and cutting all my fruits and veggies on my new bamboo board without worrying about the "cross contamination" that used to have me on edge any time I cooked meats--chicken in particular. I've got a lot more room in the freezer as well, so now I can prepare large quantities of my veggie delights and freeze them for later use. Although I used to eat meat and enjoy it quite a lot, that hadn't been the case for quite a while before I completely stopped, so the first week of being meat free has been incredibly easy. Not only have I not missed it, but I feel much better already. I wasn't tempted even a single time the entire week, and I know that I won't be in the future either : )

I'm sure I'll have more meat relapse dreams... maybe around holidays or when I'm visiting family. Just like my familiar old alcoholic drunk dreams, I'll awaken with relief, resolve, and renewed faith that have made very wise choices in leaving those things behind.