Finding Meaning - Pria's Ponderings

NHA Health Science Podcast

Causes, Do No Harm, Finding Meaning, Finding Purpose, veganism Comments Off

Aug 302024

Did you know that over 50% of the world’s grain is used to feed livestock instead of people? This startling fact highlights the inefficiencies and ethical concerns of our current food system. I recently had the opportunity to share this and much more on the NHA Health Science Podcast with Dr. Frank Sabatino.

We explored my journey from a traditional vegetarian upbringing in a Hindu family to embracing a vegan lifestyle, and how mindfulness and compassion play crucial roles in these choices. Our conversation also touched on my upcoming documentary, “Do No Harm,” which aims to raise awareness about the hidden truths of the dairy industry and inspire more compassionate living.
I’m passionate about sharing these insights and encouraging others to consider the impact of their food choices on animals, the environment, and their own health. If you’re curious to learn more and join the conversation, you can enjoy the full podcast episode here: www.HealthScience.org/podcast/094-Pria-Acharya.

Raj Acharya

Animals, Finding Meaning, Musing on Death, Spirituality Comments Off

Aug 032024

2003 – 7/27/2024

My dear sweet 21 year-old vegan cat, Raj (“king” in Hindi), passed on my lap and in my arms on my porch, under our pine tree about 3:40pm Saturday 7/27/2024. Today is the one week anniversary.

A few days prior, he had thick nasal discharge, which seemed resolved with a vaporizer. Then he refused breakfast, going to his napping throne on an Indian comforter on my bedroom ledge. It’s his favorite spot, where he can get sun, be left alone and watch the neighborhood.

He normally pestered me for breakfast, so ignoring it made me pause. After not eating for a day, I began feeding him through a syringe, along with water. He became frail, not standing. Saturday morning, I found him curled up in his litter box. I created a makeshift litter box with a box that had a low edge to maneuver.

We sat on the porch early Saturday morning, him under a blanket in one chair, me in the other. The birds sang and there was a gentle breeze. After periodic feeding, I laid him on ground cover under a big pine tree next to my porch. I laid next to him.

Later, I laid him on my lap on the porch and we both napped. An hour later, he made some whimpering sounds and I thought he could be dreaming. He then convulsed twice as I stood under the tree holding him, calling to him, and then I no longer felt him breathing.

Raj’s passing was idyllic. After a very long life with a loving family, he passed in a peaceful environment, outside, where he enjoyed being, in my arms. I’m so grateful he didn’t pass the prior weekend, when I was out of town. My AC broke the following day, Sunday, but learned of it Monday and was preoccupied getting it handled during a heat wave. I’m so grateful my attention on it was not taken earlier so that I could be present for Raj.

He is the first companion animal I’ve had who has passed naturally and not euthanized, like my previous 3 cats and 2 dogs. Despite various health issues, such as a heart murmur, and various injuries over decades, he has carried on, loving me and my 2 kids, over a decade apart in age. They both grew up with him.

Raj early morning 7/27/2024 on my porch

Slow Change

Finding Meaning, veganism Comments Off

Jun 222024

Change usually happens with small seeds being nurtured over time.

It can include speaking up, showing up in small ways that has a trickle effect, giving others something new to consider.

For me, this has included just asking if something is vegan at events, potlucks, when traveling. On the one hand, I’m just a vegan trying to eat, which I’m entitled to. On another, I’m proclaiming my existence as a vegan representative of other vegans and to prompt some potential needed discomfort in the other on who I am and why.

I did just that this past week when RSVPing for my neighborhood HOA sponsored 4th of July celebration breakfast. There wasn’t a vegan option stated, so I reached out to the representative, who connected me to the board president, who graciously reached out to the vendor and made plans for me to get a vegan breakfast burrito.

I could have not reached out, deciding to just have an entree at home. But reaching out was a deliberate, mindful choice of activism to show up, take space as a vegan, create and plant some seeds of awareness on veganism with others.

I made similar inquiry (Is this vegan?) at a potluck of “wise women” at my Unitarian Universalist fellowship recently, when I could have remained silent.

I wasn’t rude, just present for myself and animals.

#mindfulness #veganism #change

Joy

Finding Meaning Comments Off

Jul 202022

The feelings ripple to the surface,

Propelled by my thoughts,

My heart quickens,

Wanting to rush forth,

Like an excited little giggling girl.

Joy is here.

Vegan creamy tomato soup

Cooking, Finding Meaning, Kid-tested vegan recipes, vegan Comments Off

Jan 202019

My daughter has a cold this weekend and I wanted to offer her tomato soup.

But I’m trying to get away from store-bought processed foods. So I was inspired to make it from scratch.

I made vegan creamy tomato soup, with actual tomatoes. I was very impressed with the outcome!

I sautéed tomatoes with onions and garlic in my Instant Pot. I added salt, black pepper, red pepper and basil essential oil. I then put it on the soup setting. I then added a can of coconut milk, cilantro and puréed with an immersion blender. Yummy! I could taste all the flavors. I will never have instant again.

Turning 50

Finding Meaning Comments Off

Jun 092018

Today is my birthday. I’m turning 50.

I wondered if the world would explode today, but so far, it hasn’t. My air conditioning unit, however, did sort of blow up when it stopped working yesterday.

Having no air conditioning is a harsh way to begin my 50th year and at the start of summer. The temperature in my house has reached 86 degrees so far.

I’ve been steadily working towards the commemoration of my 50th birthday today for the past two years. I’ve made conscious efforts to clean up my life and prepare for this day. These efforts have included letting go of toxic relationships, including my marriage. In a few weeks, I will be divorced one year.

There’s no denying middle age now, it’s solidly here. What also can’t be denied now is facing my mortality. Why am I here? What do I want to be about for my remaining years? What purpose will my life serve? These are heavy questions to consider as I tackle day-to-day challenges.

More than any other aspect, my celebration today is a spiritual one. I celebrate myself, my journey, my struggles overcome so far and that I will continue to overcome in the future.

I acknowledge and commemorate my courage to live as authentically as possible.

Vegan Taquitos

Causes, Finding Meaning, Kid-tested vegan recipes, Raising Vegetarian Children, vegan Comments Off

May 182018

In my transition to veganism since the past year, I’ve experimented with vegan recipes. The latest has been taquitos after buying a frozen version. I noted the ingredients and made my own improvised, homemade version last night.

It included Swiss chard grown in my garden and black beans from scratch, using my Instant Pot. I was able to get the beans started before picking up my daughter, which was ready after.

I sautéed the chard in coconut oil with garlic, onion and spices such as salt, black pepper, smoked paprika and coriander. These can be improvised as per preference.

I rolled this stuffing onto corn tortillas which were then baked. I also used the stuffing in taco shells. I added organic tomato, homemade salsa and homegrown cilantro before serving. My 9 year-old daughter stated it was the best taco and taquito she ever had. I would add avocado in the future. They weren’t ripe last night. I also used the stuffing in mini burritos that she took to school and I took to work today.

Spaghetti with Carrot/Tomato Saucei

Children, Finding Meaning, Raising Vegetarian Children, Recipes, vegan, Vegetarianism Comments Off

Mar 042018

I’ve been trying to move away from processed, pre-made food. I’m also trying to be a more organized working single mom.

I asked my daughter about meal preferences for the week so I could make some ahead of time today, on Sunday. She mentioned spaghetti.

I wanted to avoid a jarred sauce and I had a big bag of carrots from Costco to use up. I decided I would put them through a food processor and then put them in everything.

I bought Roma tomatoes, which were sautéed in with shredded carrots, onion, and garlic. I added basil, salt, pepper, paprika, balsamic vinegar, olive oil, and Brewer’s Yeast Flakes. I puréed in the pan. My daughter loved it. I also made a garlic bread roll with vegan margarine, olive oil, and seasoning. Any protein crumbles like Boca or sautéed tofu crumbles could also be an option to add to the sauce.

Hey Perfection,

Finding Meaning Comments Off

Jan 172018

Hey Perfection,

this week, I’m going to touch my neglected guitar and piano. I might even mess with them and make terrible sounds with them. You can’t stop me.

I won’t know what I’m doing. Although knowing that feels terrifying at some level and doing things poorly seems criminal, I might just go ahead and do it.

Will anyone know or care? What will happen after I make some non-rhythmic sounds with my lonely instruments? Will the instrument police get me? Will their ears hear the confusing sounds?

Do my instruments want me to play them, even badly? Would it be disrespectful to them? Do they only deserve skilled hands? Will they sense my fear of them, of me and my inability, that I might not be able to make enough sense of them to make sounds that make sense? What if the sounds never make sense?

Will I have failed? Will the instrument failure police know and promptly get me? Will I wither away forever in instrument failure jail, kicking myself for foolishly trying to play an instrument? Do they deserve better than me?

What is the purpose of trying to play them anyway? Who would it save? Maybe me?

Perfection, once I make non-melodic sounds with my instruments, I might even try to figure out what else I can do poorly, and then go do it.

Farewell, My Friend Leo

Finding Meaning, Loss, Outlook, Relationships Comments Off

Nov 032017

Dear Leo,

I’ve been stunned since yesterday, seeing the message associated with a LinkedIn invite. I had been ignoring the invite from the woman for possibly weeks, thinking it was another work-related association I would get to later. But then yesterday, I inadvertently saw the message on the invite that I didn’t know was there, with her stating she was your wife and that you had passed. My heart stopped, as I immediately accepted the invite and responded back to her, beginning with “oh my God..”

I was further shocked learning the details of your passing, that you had six to seven months since learning about your advanced cancer diagnoses in March and then leaving us last month. I can’t imagine what you went through during this time.

I stared at your LinkedIn picture with trimmed, tidy hair and background profile, feeling strange at the same time, knowing your professional profile was still there, but you were not. Your impressive professional history was detailed, some of which you shared and intersected with mine.

You were devoted to our aerospace company and its Deep Impact program with a deadline in space in the next five years that could not be changed. What a stressful deadline, that required you to work non-stop without sleep often. The mission was a success, with the expense of your marriage, which ended.

I told your wife you had been like my smarter older brother, detailed the profound impact you had made on my life and how happy you seemed when I ran into you the past decade, after marrying her. You appeared happy, adjusted and grounded, and that’s how I knew you had made a good choice in a mate. You were focused on your lovely step daughter and I was touched to see the nurturing, fatherly Leo.

Your life clearly suited you and you seemed at peace. I got the impression that you had evolved from what seemed to be your unrewarding rescue missions prior, which I have also been trying to move on from and let go of.

I will never forget the dark, curly, unruly-haired Cuban head I saw next to my cube that I got accustomed to seeing. I wondered if the hair was perhaps unruly to match the focused engineer you were, like a mad scientist stereotype.

You were always there, as a workaholic, married first to our demanding company. You were even there one Labor Day weekend, September of 2002, when you bravely shared your thoughts on my dysfunctional marriage, spurring me on to make the changes I needed to make. You were courageous and caring enough to point out the inevitable course of action I needed to take, but didn’t feel strong enough to undertake. You offered me that strength through your wisdom.

As a result, my life eventually turned big corners as I divorced. You even provided pragmatic help that my family did not by lending me money during a financially difficult time as I made changes to transition to my new life. I wouldn’t even know how to begin to thank you for this.

If I didn’t go to work then, I can’t imagine my life now. Along with the loss of you from the world is a piece of me. You were a part and witness to a significant, transformative time period of my life that you were instrumental in. You showed me that someone can be an atheist and yet still be the most value-driven, caring person I’ve ever met.

You also divorced and struggled with missing your former partner. I told you that “sometimes, it’s better to miss someone than to be with them.” You mulled this over, said you liked it and that it helped you. Leo, I want you to know this quote doesn’t apply to you. It breaks my heart we can’t have any more wise conversations because it would be better to be around you having deep, enlightening conversations than to miss you.

While drinking hot sake on a cold night, we provided each other with support following our divorces. I have thought of you every time I’ve had hot sake since. We never did get around to seeing Woody Allen movies together as we discussed, so now I must. As you suggested, I will read (again?) Zen and The Art of Motorcycle Maintenance, which I believe is somewhere in my home.

Rest in peace, my friend, workaholic former colleague, mentor and adviser. Wherever you are, dude, I just hope there is a lot of hair gel. Just sayin.’

Older Entries