I don’t consider myself a “preachy” person…although my family might disagree. Mostly I intend to live my life on my own terms and only offer up explanations of my lifestyle choices if I’m directly asked. So that is why I rarely bring up what I have learned about the treatment and practices involved when it comes to raising, butchering and eating animals. Everyone has their own reasons for eating or not eating meat, eggs and dairy and it’s not my place to enlighten everyone I encounter on the wide-spread horrors within these industries.

I promise I won’t gross you out with details except to say that if you think the burger on your plate or the ham and cheese slices in your sandwich just arrived there from a peaceful, contented animal who lived a healthy pain-free life and was slaughtered in a humane and hygienic manner then you are kidding yourself (in case you are curious – I’d recommend watching Food Inc or picking up Jonathan Saffron Foer’s book Eating Animals).

This video has been widely viewed in the foodie world so I apologize if you’ve already watched it but I was so moved that I felt I just had to share it. It made me think about the first time my daughter made the connection between meat and animals. We were in a local grocery store and she saw a rack of lamb in the meat case and asked me what it was. I told her and she literally did not believe me. “That’s not what it is. Why would anyone eat a lamb, mom?” she asked. I could almost see the wheels turning in her little head as she processed for the first time the connection between the meat at the store and living breathing animals.

Sometimes the wisdom of our children can open our eyes and force us see things from a different perspective. Check out the short video clip below:

(email subscribers – you may have to go to my site at www.lorileighwilson.com to view the video)