Once upon a time there was this little girl,
She loved pink, polka-dots, and rollers that made her hair curl.
She was always happy, smiling, and enjoying her youth,
But somewhere along the way she lost her truth.
Soon this girl was a teenager and she lost her glow,
She struggled with an eating disorder but wanted no one to know.
During this time she forgot about her life passions and dreams,
When she thought about a career choice she wanted to scream.
The problem was she didn’t know what to do,
So she became a professional student, got her masters too,
She thought the key to happiness was a high paying career,
But the joke was on her at the end of tax year.
She started working at a research job,
Unhappy, she would often drive home and sob.
On Halloween day of two thousand and Eight,
She started this blog and wished for a new fate.
Her blog became a passion, an escape from her pain,
She connected with others and felt a lot more sane.
After 4 months of blogging she got the courage to quit,
She was sick of this job making her feel like…the pits.
As she walked down that hall, her heart was in her throat,
She knew what she had to do to keep herself afloat.
With a quick, deep breath she said I’m Outta here,
and then she went home and had a few beer.
Quitting is hard, but not being happy is worse,
and for many days you count the pennies in your purse.
But the reality was this girl fell in love with her blog,
When she explained to others they looked at her in a fog.
This girl said goodbye to the troubles of her past,
She said with a smile, don’t let the door hit you in the…
[Yes, she’s crass!]
This girl who used to eat fat-free foods galore,
was now cooking, baking, and even eating yummy s’mores!
Yes it’s true, she fell in love with food.
And she even started to smile at herself in the nude.
Her passion for health, the environment, and animals grew,
So she became a vegan and she felt brand new.
Then one day it hit her like a ton of bricks,
She should start a vegan bakery, somehow it all clicked.
She would write, and bake, and create delicious meals,
With a dash of love, inspiration, happiness, and zeal.
I am happy to say this girl is in a good place,
And some say you can now see the glow upon her face.
The moral of the story is to never accept what you think is your fate,
For sometimes you must pave a new road and go create.
The reason for my wordy rhyme or two,
Is a fun contest and here’s the clue.
I hope you had fun with this rhyme that I made,
Many thanks to my writing teacher from third grade.
~Project Food Blog, Entry #1: ‘Why I should be the next Food Blog Star’
To see all of my Project Food Blog entries, see the links in this final post.
I’ve been following your blog for a couple of months now and I just wanted to thank you for sharing great and tasty recipes and inspiring me to start my own blog (under construction at the moment). I’m a Master student Chemical Engineering (living in the Netherlands) with a passion for food, cooking and fitness and I’ve been very unhappy with my studies. I can very much relate to your poem about doing what you think is expected and being unhappy. Quitting is very hard, but lately I have come to realise that it is necessary in order to pursue happiness. After I have my Master’s degree I vow not to settle for an unhappy career. This makes the future scary, but I am sure it will turn out for the best :-)
So thank you and I look forward to all your new posts and recipes!
awww what a lovely story!
This is sooo stinkin’ cute! =)
YOU are straight up AWESOME. Shine on women!
Thank you for this. You’re really an inspiration. I feel like my story could be interchangable with mine–all of the disordered eating and everything (well except the veganism–I love butter too much!). I’ve recently found running and I think it’s helping me find that healthy balance. Thanks, and good luck on project food blog!
So touching and poetic! My favorite like is “she even smiles at herself in the nude”, one of womens largest struggle! :-)
Love the poem Angela!!
I love following your blog. :-)
Angela I absolutely LOVE your blog!! I’m studying to become a dietetic, I love how eating amazing natural food can make you look and feel amazing. I have been trying to learn how to cook but haven’t had much interest in it, UNTIL I found your blog. Your recipes are exactly what I have been looking for! Thank you!
Aww! I absolutely loved your poem! You’re truly an inspiration to me. :)
Hi Angela,
I just discovered your blog last week. I LOVE IT!! I am actually going through a lot of the same stuff you describe here (overcoming nearly 20 years of disordered eating), quitting my job that’s just become a drain, rather than a source of pleasure in my life (and trying to figure out what I am passionate about pursuing), exploring the wonderful world of vegan cooking. I have so much to say and so many questions, but let me start with just one: how did you start creating this beautiful blog? I’d like to start my own, but Blogspot just isn’t what I want. I’d love to do it right. Do you have any suggestions for getting started? Thanks so much for all of this!!
Jen
i LOVE this! you are such an inspiration.
Awesome!
I love the growth you’ve made into being you. Completely and utterly you :-)
Wow! Thank you, my day just got a little brighter.
That was awesome-sauce.
Funny, cute, creative… and so telling of your fabulousness.
The best Challenge Post I have read so far (Shhh!)
~Missy
I just discovered your blog last week. This poem is amazing! Have a great time in Paris!
Angela that made me cry. It really hit home to exactly how I’m feeling right now…I’m stuck in that place that you were in your old job. I’m in the middle of taking steps to change and your story has always been an inspiration to me.
This was my favorite part and will be added to my quotes collection:
“Never accept what you think is your fate,
For sometimes you must pave a new road and go create”
Let me just say I LOVE reading your page, and I must confess I read it about everyday lol You are such an inspiration and I am so glad I stumbled upon this page so many months ago, keep writing & Have fun in Paris!
Loved the poem! You are inspirational! (And witty!)
Oh this is so great! I loved the poem! And the post before this has come at a great time for me. I am currently looking at my own self-doubt and wondering what I’m good at and what my passions are. While wondering what career path I should take. Thank you for this timely inspiration! :)
Came to check out the competition. You look strong! Good Luck! GREG
I cried. This was really cute :)
I love the poem! This makes me want to go back and read more of your earlier posts & About Me stuff to hear the full story of your transition to full-time blogger!
Fabulous post! I loved every line.
Have an amzing time in Paris!
Angela,
I want you to know that I felt like I was looking in a mirror when I read this. You truly have no idea how much I needed to read this. I used to have an eating disorder and fell in love with food and vegan eating 2 years ago. My family thinks I’m crazy, nuts and pitiful for loving food so much. I could read recipes and stay in a kitchen all day. The truth is though, the kitchen is where I healed from fearing food. It’s where I learned who I really was. I started blogging last January,and I felt like the part of my soul that was missing from what I knew I wanted to do, and what I could do, actually met each other finally. It was if my dreams had touched my abilities for the first time in my life and all the emotional baggage just fell away. Recently, I’ve had 2 life tragedies and my health has taken a nose dive south due to stress. My family often thinks I’m crazy for sticking with staying at home to write instead of going to work to find a full time job. As a senior in college in Nutrition, I’ve decided to get my Masters in Psychology and I’ve been contemplating jobs recently. I went on an interview today for a full time job with all the perks and felt sicker than I have in my life. I knew I didn’t want it because it meant no time for my blog or me. At 26, it sounds foolish, but what I really want is a part time job at Whole Foods I interviewed for where I could contribute to a world of health that I love and still have time to write while I’m in school. Sometimes dreams seem so silly when we say them to others, but they are louder in our hearts than we could imagine.
Thank you eternally for this post. You helped me make up my mind and do what I knew I needed to do from the beginning. God bless you and I’m voting for you:) Your childhood pictures looks so much like mine!:) It’s hilarious
PS- My dream job is to write a recipe book, blog full time and open my own vegan and allergen friendly ice cream shop:) I know if we met, I’d feel like I wasn’t so crazy afterall:)
Thank you so much for your comment…you are an amazing girl and you have such a great spirit. I wish all the best for you in the future. xo
Beautiful <3
Awww I loved this poem! Good luck :)
Great and inspiring poem!! Loved the glimpse into your life and how you overcame your struggles. Rock on, girl!!
Very inspirational! Best of luck!
I just voted for you! :) Good luck!
Here’s the link for everyone else who wants to vote for Angela!
http://www.foodbuzz.com/project_food_blog/challenges/1/view/148
thanks!!
Great Post! Good Luck with the rest of the competition! (I’m in it too.)
Beautiful! I just gave you a vote! You can check out my entry here: http://tinyurl.com/2ec2hlq Thanks and Good Luck!!
Wow – you got the most comments of anyone! Well-deserved for clever entry. I’m casting one of my votes for you.
i am so glad to knw that u followed ur dream,.;-)
I love your creative take on the first challenge. With your passion and drive you are going to go far in this competition. Best of luck. You’ve got my vote.
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