November 2023: 'Building a Non-Anxious Life' + A Vegetarian's Guide to Eating Meat
Your monthly recap is here.
I spent a week in Iowa for Thanksgiving this year, which was great. But arriving back in Alabama reminded me of two things: I won’t miss Midwestern winters, and it was just about time to send out November’s update.
Here’s your monthly recap:
Best Book I Read This Month
Is anxiety itself a sickness or is it the fire alarm to tell your body something is wrong? Dr. John Deloney argues that anxiety can point to underlying problems in his new book, Building a Non-Anxious Life. This was one of the most practical, actionable books I have ever read about anxiety, and you can find it here.
Best Article I Read This Month
Roughly 13,000 federal offenders were released from prison when COVID-19 hit, and have instead been subject to home confinement and/or electronic monitoring. There has been an extraordinarily low recidivism rate among those released, with less than 1% going back to prison for a new offense (and those offenses were typically nonviolent/low-level). Now, Republicans in Congress want to reincarcerate thousands of those released prisoners, years after the fact. Read all about it here.
Tip + Trick of the Month
November’s tip is for pet owners and is brought to you by AHeinz57 Pet Rescue and Transport:
Quote of the Month
“The thought life that feasts on the riches of the true, the just, and the lovely is the thought life that is radically liberated by the peace of God that overcomes our restless, screen-weary souls as we ask for it.” -Samuel James, Digital Liturgies
Kelvey’s Thought for the Month
I have been a vegetarian for nearly six years, and I never want to go back to eating meat. Frankly, the thought of consuming a corpse horrifies me. Given that thought, plus my serious concerns about the ethics of the slaughter industry and animal cruelty, it would take a truly insane health situation to convince me to eat meat again.
But not everyone is me. Nearly all of my friends and family still eat meat. And, while I disagree with this choice, I do think there is a way to prioritize the humane treatment of animals while continuing to eat meat.
If you are a meat eater, here are a few steps you can take to support animal welfare:
Hunt or buy meat from a hunter in your area. Hunting supports conservation, helps local ecosystems, and is just about as “free range” as you can get.
Buy meat directly from local farmers and ranchers and get confirmation on how they treat (and kill) their animals.
If you continue to shop in-store, the ASPCA has an awesome breakdown of certifications to look for which can be found here.
Avoid buying meat that has no animal handling certification. Remember: Even if you don’t care about animals, consuming meat from sick and poorly raised animals is bad for you too.
The only meat I buy is for my pets. I always look for food that is, at minimum, organic and American Humane Certified.
Enjoy the rest of 2023! I’ll catch you in the new year.