Vegan for a Year

My one year vegan anniversary is October 16th. Yay for me, right? The decision to become vegan was easy enough, although I was a little worried about how I was going to live without cheese and chocolate at first. Little did I know that giving up dairy would super easy and that shoes would be what I missed the most. Meat was never an issue as I had already been a vegetarian for 14 years and I never liked or used milk. So becoming vegan seemed like the next logical step for myself and the overall health of the planet and I had recently just started dating a guy that was vegan. He was a big inspiration and so supportive of my decision.

The first couple of month's were a transition period for me and the people I associated with. On a couple of occasion I experienced what I consider outright hostility regrading my decision. I was left out of celebrations at work that involved birthday cake and ice cream. Sitting quietly with my cup of coffee while everyone talked about how AMAZING and AWESOME the cake was. Sure I felt left out and wanted to cheat but I didn't. Once when I did cheat the treat tasted different and not all that good. I had been eating sugar and dairy for so long that my taste buds were immune to what I actually considered good. After a year I've adjusted to the lifestyle and discovered that there are so many options out there for vegans and with a little planning and foresight I can avoid the awkward situations. What I wasn't prepared for is how fucking hard it is to find a decent pair of vegan shoes.

Like most women I love shoes. I look forward to buying them, wearing them and buying more of them. Well, that has changed. Vegan shoes are ugly and cheap looking. The are not as comfortable or long lasting as leather. I have not bought any new leather since becoming vegan and have actually cried over Nike Dunks and beautiful handmade Italian leather flats. For the past month I've been searching stores, the internet, everywhere for a new pair of shoes. Finally, yesterday out of desperation I stopped at Rainbow. I actually found a cute pair of brown flats that I could live with. I gave the shop girl my $14.99 and left the store. Today ready for Fall, decked out in the shades of the season I slipped into my new brown flats and headed for work.

When I got to the office and looked down at my feet I discovered above my left toe a giant rip in the faux leather. To say the least I am discouraged.