Pretending

When I was growing up back in Louisiana there was a radio show on Saturday mornings called Let's Pretend. To a little girl already bursting with imagination, this was my kind of show. It had a catchy little theme song that I can still hum. Of course, the show was all about fairytales, bad witches, good fairies, etc. Even in my twilight years, I still enjoy pretending and practicing the message in that song: Pretend you're happy when you're blue, it's not so very hard to do..... That song also that tells us to put a smile upon your face as if there's nothing wrong.....

I know that I was pretending for years that "food" animals don't suffer, the rain forest isn't disappearing, our water and other resources aren't being polluted by feedlots, millions aren't going to bed hungry, and that piece of meat on my plate just miraculously appeared. Just pretend it's not happening, Billie, okay? Think of something else. And I did for years. Yes, I pretended a lot until I began to sit up and take notice of the things responsible people were saying. They certainly didn't sound like make believe or pretending; they sounded frightening and real. I began to research this lifestyle. It seems I had a lot to make up for with all the silly pretending I'd been doing.

I still pretend I'm happy when I'm so blue about most things and try to keep a smile upon my face -- but not when it comes to the concepts of veganism. I believe my husband is a "pretender" when it comes to veganism. His response when I work to explain it to him is usually, "I don't want to talk about it." Pretending. Even though he gets only vegan vittles at home, he still orders meat when we eat out. I am saddened by this but am just working to be kind and set a good example And when I see the unsightly piece of flesh on his plate in a restaurant, I just PRETEND it's made from tvp.

Billie S.
New Jersey

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