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I went vegan 8 years ago on Thanksgiving, so I celebrate my veganniversary on Thanksgiving every year now.

Growing up, Thanksgiving was always a miserable day for me. My family would argue, the weather would be gross, and I would get so upset about the dead turkey that I wouldn't want to eat meat for weeks. Then in 2002 I realized that it didn't have to be like that and I could do something about it. So I reclaimed Thanksgiving. Rather than just avoiding meat for a couple weeks and feeling sad about it, I made an active decision to go vegan and I have been ever since. So now I feel like I can actually celebrate on Thanksgiving, because I have something that's meaningful for me to celebrate, and it's a lot easier on my conscience to feel thankful when I'm not staring at a dead bird. I've pretty much decided at this point that I won't participate in Thanksgiving events where meat is served -- I tolerate people eating meat around me every other day of the year, but not on Thanksgiving. I find vegan friends to celebrate with. And I'm so thankful that nearly every year I've been able to find vegans to celebrate with! This year I'm celebrating with Supercarrot and Dynahmite and their significant others, and it's going to be FREAKING FANTASTIC and I'm so excited :D

So, let's use this thread to share what we're thankful for. There are lots of things about Thanksgiving that suck, it's true, but there are lots of things in the world that suck every day, right? So let's take a few moments to say things we're thankful for. Share as many as you like. Come back and post more if you think of more later. Keep hope alive!

I'm thankful that, after a long, dark depression, I'm finally in a place (physically, emotionally, and spiritually) where I feel okay about myself and hopeful about the future again. I'm thankful that I have access to healthy, delicious food on a frequent, regular basis. I'm thankful for having a comfortable place to live and sleep. (I haven't always had these things and it's amazing how much more meaningful they've become.) I'm thankful for the amazing people in my life, both in "real life" and over the internet, who love and support me and do what they can to get me through the hard times and celebrate with me during the good times. I'm thankful for my comfy pajamas and delicious pumpkin bread and my shiny water bottle and my giant teddy bear Johann and my awesome purple pirate pandacookiemonster Pilo.

And I am SO thankful for the PPK. The love and support I see here -- whether it's directly for me or for someone else -- gives me hope and renews my sense of optimism about the world. May we someday live in a world where all animals, human and non-human are treated with dignity and respect. Thank YOU (yes, YOU!) for everything YOU do to create that world for ALL of us! <3

Before I respond to you back in my thread, let me just say Happy fellow-Veganniversary to you! I am going to try to take today to be thankful for things; twelve or so hours ago I was having a mini-meltdown that made the possibility seem remote. Amazing what a night's sleep can do for perspective! :)

I am thankful for my (relative) health, for having a best friend who is also vegan and therefore always relates to living in a very non-vegan world. For a roof over my head and money in my bank account. For a stable job (even if it's driving me crazy at the moment). For possibility. And for the fact that this year, I met some very awesome turkeys that further solidified my decision not to be at a table where one is the focal point for all of the wrong reasons!

Congrats, Choirqueer!!
Edit: I'm thankful for a lot, but mainly my health, my friends, that my mother doesn't have cancer (we got the results yesterday), the PPK (yes, seriously, you guys are really helpful) and life in general, because even when it's shitty, it's not that bad. xoxo

Have a great day, y'all.

Congrats, Choirqueer!

I am thankful for my healthy, happy family & this fun place with you fun people. Yay!

That is really great Choirqueen! How awesome to have changed it all on a day like today.



I'm thankful for my little snorty love-bugg that makes every day worth living.

Isabella says Happy Thanksgiving to everyone!

I'm thankful for the usual things like family (even though they fight like hormonal cats), good friends, a bestie (who willingly subjected himself to the MA-NC drive with me), my wonderful puppies, etc. BUT I'm also thankful for cool vegetarian kids.

My math teacher's son posted this on Facebook:
"i'd like to take a moment to remember all those poor turkeys that were killed for the gory feast tonight. They sacrificed their lives for the greed of americans. Turkey-eating is one of the most pointless practices carried out in our country, and perhaps some day we will realize that the best way to give thanks for our fortune is to give thanks, or donate to charities, rather than butchering a large, helpless bird."

i am thankful for my family, our health, the roof over our heads, my husbands job that allows me to stay at home every day with my amazing son. I am thankful that I finally found veganism so that I never have to try to quiet the sadness and guilt inside me while I try to eat meat ever again. I am thankful this year will be a completely vegan thanksgiving

I'm thankful for my partner and kids, I'm thankful for my vegan best friend, I'm thankful for my mental health (I'm bipolar and have been for years, but only this year was able to get medical care for it...I'm lucky I'm alive and so grateful and...happy), I'm thankful for this vegan community, for my companion dogs, for netflix (haha), for getting into grad school, for love, for acceptance, for compassionate people, and for every day.

I'm thankful for having a job, a place to live, and for living in a new city I love and some awesome friends.

i'm thankful for my cats, a significant other who treats me the way i deserve, books, vegan eats, and my family being relatively awesome. i'm incredibly thankful that i made it through this past year, after breaking up with my fiance (the hardest decision of my life to date), with as much positivity as i think i've ever had. what could have been a really crappy situation has turned into a nice, simple, happy existence for me.

thank goodness for sanity, for once.

Happy veganniversary!

I am thankful for so much! I have a wonderful family, silly cats, a warm comfortable house, a garden. We do not go hungry (we have in the past and I can speak to being frightfully poor). We work hard, and play too.

I am thankful that I can come to PPK and vent or just have a moment and you guys care. I love my internet safe place. I really do love the community that is the PPK.

This year though, I am most thankful for friends. I have had terribly abusive friendships. This past year I cleaned them all up and have focused on meeting new people that have the same ethics, goals and values that I have. And I have been rewarded with a genuine sense of peace. Having true friends has even helped strengthen my marriage. I have been able to grow in more ways than I would have thought possible.

I am more thankful than I probably even know for that.

I hope you all have a fabulous day.

hey! It's my veganniversary too! I went vegan 4 years ago today!

Happy Veganniversary!

I'm thankful for friends, family, and good food. Also, good music.

Happy Veganniversaries!

I went vegan sometime in November of 2008 so I will celebrate, too! YAY!!!

yay! i love how many people go vegan on or around thanksgiving.