Anybody who knows me knows that I LOVE RENT. Adore it. It's about the best thing created since God made tequila (or did someone else make that?). Jonathan Larson was one of the most brilliant, imaginative, and realistic playwrights born. Sure, he based Rent somewhat on La Boheme, but really he created a true-to-life world that people live and struggle in on a daily basis and made it a brilliant musical. Yes, I know every single word to every single song. And yes I sing every single word to every single song.
But there's one little teeny, tiny part sung in the midst of the song "La Vie Boheme" that even though I know it, and sing it often, I didn't HEAR it. I didn't pay attention to what this insignificant character even said. But here's what it is:
"So that's five miso soup, four seaweed salad, three soy burger dinner, two tofu dog platter, and one pasta with meatless balls?"
Well apparently Jonathan Larson was onto something back in the early 90s when he wrote the songs performed in Rent. Despite all these characters being basically impoverished (aside from Benny and Joanne), and dealing with HIV/AIDS, among other things, they still treated animals kindly and didn't eat meat! Sure, a few of them really didn't treat their bodies very well (I mean getting HIV from your heroin needle isn't so good for the body) but hey, they're eating soy burgers!
Angel, one of my favorite characters, died from AIDS (in the play/movie, not real life).
Trust me, I do not make like of anyone living with HIV/AIDS - I have a friend who has HIV and thankfully it hasn't progressed to full-blown AIDS (and he is doing exceptionally well might I add). I understand the severity of this epidemic all around the world, and I've been personally touched by it. I know they say all these millions of people have HIV/AIDS, but how many people do you really know that have it? As far as I know, not another single person I know has ever known anyone to suffer from it, which is obviously a blessing. So again, I am not treating the illness like it's unimportant.
But I kind of think of it this way: When you find out you have some kind of horrible illness, whether it be HIV/AIDS, heart disease, cancer, or whatever, don't you do everything in your power to keep yourself healthy and treat the illness, and cure it if possible? You take your medicine and follow doctor's orders like good little boys and girls so you get better again.
Mimi looks pretty good to have a smack problem and HIV - maybe it's the tofu dogs.
These characters in Rent obviously weren't treating their bodies that well to start off with. Shooting some smack isn't bright, but I have already pointed that out. Having unprotected sex with people when you're not in a monogamous relationship probably isn't too smart, either (ever heard of the herps?). But my big point in the whole scheme of it is is this: Even if you haven't always been good to your body, it's never to late to start!
I mean look at me. Helloooooo I'm not exactly skinny! Yes, I once was a very tiny person back when the dinosaurs roamed, and then I had a car wreck and was physically unable to barely walk, let alone work out the way I did before. And I gained a shit-ton of weight. But that's no excuse. You see, just because I couldn't work out, there were other things I could do to keep my body healthy. I didn't have to eat pizza and macaroni and cheese and creamy, rich pastas and big juicy steaks. There wasn't a little flag on every plate saying, "You must eat every single bite of me." I could have eaten healthy things, and probably avoided a lot of the weight I've gained. But I didn't. And the beautiful part of it is that it's not too late! I can't go back and change my horrendous eating habits from five years ago, but I CAN change what I'm doing today. I can look at labels and see what kind of crap I'm putting into my body (or hopefully NOT putting into it).
And yes, I'm still going to eat my macaroni and cheese (vegan of course) now and again - honey, I'm Southern, what the hell else do you expect of me? You'd be a true fool to take away mac and cheese from a Southern girl. And yes I'm probably going to eat my biscuits, too. There are just some things I refuse to give up. But in becoming a vegan, there are so many other foods I'm gaining. I'm eating so many more vegetables than I did before. I'm eating so much less refined sugar than I did before. I'm having HEALTHY fats and good types of cholesterol and making much smarter choices. I'm not going to lie, becoming a vegan takes away a LOT of options. Strolling through the grocery store isn't as simple as it once was. I can't just grab what I'm craving off the shelf and toss it in my cart, I actually am taking the time to pay attention to the ingredients on the label and choosing what items I buy wisely. I'm not eating out, either.
I very much recall a night several months ago where my friend Natalie and I ordered chicken wings and cheese fries from Fat Patty's and I certainly sat on the couch and ate my weight in those little birdies. So sad! And so unhealthy. When you eat at a restaurant, you have literally no idea what you're eating. So don't do it! Don't get me wrong, eat out now and again because it is definitely part of American culture for families and friends to spend time together eating. That's what we spend time doing together more than anything else possible to do!
So yeah I've gone off on a wild tangent tonight, but there are two things I want you to remember from Rent - 1. Measure your life in love, and 2. No day but today. That means you've got today to make it right, and this very second is the only one you're guaranteed, so make the most of it and make smart choices for your body, and maybe you'll get more than just today. Maybe you'll get hundreds of days you wouldn't have gotten if you kept going down the path you've been on by eating pure shit.
