Meditating bananas & vegan bicycles – the eclectic ramblings of a spiritual warrior
‘Hello world, this is me. Life should be, fun for everyone!’
Ok, ok, I’ll stop with the lame lyrical reference. With my love of musicals and terrible puns, I just couldn’t resist. (And it honestly was the first thing that came to mind when I thought of writing my intro post!)
I guess I’ll just take a jump to the left and a step to the right and do the time warp straight to the point of this post. Mamma mia! Here we go again!
Let it go, let it go…
My name is Laura and I’m from Johannesburg, South Africa and on the brink of my third decade in this earthly realm. I found my way to Steemit thanks to one of my favourite Youtubers @plantriotic and was fascinated and intrigued by the potential for this blockchain-based social media platform. So, here I am, but the question really begs, why am I REALLY here?
That simple and yet complex and convoluted question is one of the journeys of discovery that I am on and partially the reason for this very Steemit page that you are graciously reading. One of the facets of my human is that I am a (relatively new) student of philosophy and a lover of wisdom. I am moving through this life on a quest for enlightenment and expanded consciousness. But in case that sounds too “airy-fairy” and “new age” let’s just say I am on a path of self-improvement – I am trying to become a better version of myself, live a happier, more peaceful and meaningful existence and strive to be an agent of change in the world around me. In line with this, I try wherever possible to be involved in projects of community upliftment and service in the hopes of helping those in need and bringing some joy and love to the people and places that are in a deficit. I strongly believe and feel that we are all inextricably interconnected and both hurting and helping another is the same as doing it to ourselves so we need to be very careful how our behaviour affects not only ourselves but those around us.
This page is going to be a bit of an eclectic mix of my passions and interests but the underlying foundation for all these things is that they facilitate my ‘mission’ or focus of growth and progress.
I am vegan - for my health, the planet, the animals and my own morality and would love to show the world what AWESOME food we can eat without causing unnecessary harm. I would also like to share my reasons for following this path but in a gentle and kind way; there are unfortunately already too many negative connotations associated with vegans.
I am a lover of all things outdoors and have up until now I have tried my hand at trail running, mountain biking, rock climbing, hiking and trekking. I feel most connected to the universe and myself when I am immersed in the beauty of Mother Nature. I hope to share my experiences in nature, and the outdoor sports I participate in, as the natural world around us can be such a powerful teacher if you listen carefully.
I have many varied interests, beliefs, ideas, experiences and seemingly unrelated things that excite and fascinate me and hopefully you’ll hang around long enough to hear about more of them. I would love to make people think more deeply about things they may not have, to have them interact in productive and friendly debate, and join me in on my quest to improve myself and effect positive change around me.
This blog is an experiment and an outlet for me. It is a means through which I can express my creativity and as such, although I have given a rough guideline as to the content I may post, I could very well stray far from that at times! I am allowing this page to be whatever I need it to be. I see myself as simply a vessel of information, transmitting all that comes to me from something greater than my human mind and ego.
Welcome to the @plantstrongsoul world! May you find something of benefit and positivity in my intimate and honest ramblings and, if you do, pay it forward to others.
(P.S. I am a real, living, breathing, non-robotic human being with a Facebook page to prove it!)
Earth child
Spiritual warrior
Mountain biking explorer
Lover of wisdom
Follow me on Instagram - plantstrongsoul
Welcome to the community! Hope you like it here
Thank you @jkenny! :)
Hello welcome to steem Laura
Thank you @tokengirl, much love!
You look very friendly! welcome @plantstrongsoul
Thank you @liquidflame!
you are welcome 😊
Welcome to Steemit, Laura!
This is amazing and I am so glad that you have joined Steemit so that you can share this with the world. You are a wonderful person to have here with us. I am a big believer in the fact that we can find so much beauty in life when we are outside with nature. You have such a positive vibe, you write well and I think you will do amazing here.
Steemit can be discouraging at first. It takes time to succeed just like everything else in life. If you stay with us and push through those tough times, I promise you will not regret it. I have presented your post in our Greeters Guild Discord to hopefully help you gain some attention. @greetersguild understands the struggles of those tough days and we are here to help you succeed in anyway possible. You are exactly the type of person that the real world and our Steemit world needs.
If you ever have any questions, don't hesitate to ask.
Steemit Greeters Guild Welcomes You To This Amazing Community!
Ahhh @greetersguild, you have made me smile so! Thank you for your kind words, when I saw this as my first comment I was blown away (and by those of others too), I really didn't expect people on Steemit to be this friendly and wonderful. I guess I am used to the constant bickering, judgement or disinterest of Facebook and this seems to be like night and day in comparison. I really appreciate the mention and will most certainly go and check the page out.
I do feel a bit of pressure to post often as from what I've read, it is suggested to post once a day, however I would rather produce quality content than chase rewards and quantity. The structuring of the Steem Power and Steem Dollars is still very foreign and complicated to me and I think my main focus is going to be producing content that is meaningful and has positive energy put into it - even if that means posting less frequently. After all, I'm here to spread a message and share my story rather than become a millionaire!
Thank you again, I truly appreciate and value your input and feedback and am so thrilled to have begun on this journey!
I am so glad to see that we could brighten your day! There are a lot of people that spend majority of their time helping other users. This place has a wonderful community. I thought the same thing when I came to Steemit. It was different to see the same topics discussed here and the conversations on here were for the most intelligent with no fighting.
You already have the perfect mindset. Stick to that and you will do great. Some people benefit from posting once a day and some only do a few days a week. It is entirely up to what works for you. Producing quality and meaningful content will take you very far. Eventually, everything will make sense around here and it will get much easier.
Welcome to steemit! You seem like an interesting individual. I vibe with a lot of what you're saying, especially about trying to be a positive influence on the world and helping others! We need more of that in the world in my opinion. Also, I'm vegan as well for similar reasons. Always good to meet another vegan who cares about the animals and planet! :)
I try not to plug my efforts when I reach out to newcomers, however.. I feel conflicted because the contest we do is a great help for beginners. I've had quite a few people tell me it helps them come up with ideas to post and helps them post more regularly, plus there's a good community that helps upvote and comment as well. So.. You may want to check out our @ifc contest, or just in general.. Look for some games or contests or challenges on the platform as they are a good way to get some extra rewards and grow quicker and also make friends and socialize as well. #newbiegames and #newbieresteem day are good tags to check also.
I've given you a follow as I follow all vegans on here to show support and help build the presence. There's also a vegan discord chat on here, though I don't wanna overwhelm you with too much! Anyways.. Good luck on here! :) Oh and.. If you have any questions about steemit or any of this feel free to ask and I'll do my best to help answer!
Thanks a mil @apolymask, really appreciate the feedback! Wow, so much to think about! Will definitely check out that out - it's definitely overwhelming getting started on this platform. It took me long enough to get this post formatted and posted (especially because I'm such a perfectionist haha!). Looking very forward to what Steemit has to offer and so great having such a positive response from people compared to other social media platforms!
You're welcome! It is a lot to take in and digest! I've been here approaching two years and there's still a lot I don't know.. But.. On the bright side it's pretty easy to get started, it's like most other social media.. You can just post and go. But, to get really deep into it takes a while to learn. Especially the crypto aspects and withdrawing money from exchanges and all of that. But.. Well worth it in my opinion! I think it's the future, this kind of technology. And word!That's a good attitude, also, the people on here in my opinion are a step above other social media.. Not to try to sound eliteist or snobby or whatever, though.. From my experience there's a lot less trolls and a holes. There's still a few here and there, just a lot less so far. Maybe they will come in time.. Though overall, I've only had a few bad experiences compared to dealing with unpleasant people on a regular basis on other social media.
I've actually just recently got into crypto (before finding out about Steemit) and it is fascinating, although I don't know how deeply I want to get into the complexities of it, but that's just me, I'm more interested in other things! But yes, the people so far have been fantastic and I'm so thrilled to be here! So thanks for the messages, been great to connect so far! :)
You're welcome. And yeah. It's not really necessary to get too deep into it. But it's nice to know the depth is there if you do want to at some point. Glad to hear the people have been great so far! If you keep at it I think you'll be pleasantly surprised. hopefully anyways! it's been that way for me. Sorry for the super delayed response by the way, I get a bit overwhelmed on messages sometimes and had to take a break.
Brought here by a post drop in @apolymask made in the IFC chat room. I think you will find a lot of various small and large communities on steemit where you will fit. There are a lot of Vegans, and unlike I guess some sites, no one really seems to care if you are or not vegan.
Philosophy, now that you can find all kinds of cool post to make you think, if you have not found him yet @sauravrungta has some pretty deep post, about philosophical and life type questions.
Lots and lots of pet lovers on steemit also, and tons of people to share your photography with, and pretty much all of steemit it seems, seems to have a little bit of spirituality.
I'd touch on the folks at @newbieresteemday, but @apolymask already has, gotta run. You have a good day.
Hey @bashadow, thanks for the message! I'm so excited to hear about all the places I can dig into and find like-minded people. This is becoming better and better! :D I'm going to find some time and check all this stuff out - not enough time in a day it seems hehe!
I was watching you last night. Oh, so creepy. Just kidding. I was watching Lara Croft in Tomb Raider 2018. But you are kind of like her. I like biking too.
Haha! Thank you - will totally take that! ;) I used to love her growing up and playing the computer game! What kind of biking do you do?
I just bike as a mode of transportation.
Hello @plantstrongsoul, thanks for beautiful intro, in order to support you i showed your picture in my blog. Please feel free to check the link below and if you like my effort then kindly donot forgot to upvote and follow me too. ;). If you donot like your reference in my post then just comment under that post, i will remove it.
https://steemit.com/life/@sultanmr/best-new-steemers-introductory-posts---page-2-1524696467-8740773
Hey! I did check it out and gave it the 'thumbs up' - thanks a mil for that mention!
Welcome to Steemit @plantstrongsoul!
I wish you much success and hope you find Steemit to be as rewarding and informative as I have.
Here are some links you might find useful.
Your stats on SteemNow
Your stats on SteemWorld
Your stats on SteemD
How to use Minnow Booster
How does Steemit actually work?
Introbot is hosted and managed with donations from @byColeman to help make your journey on Steemit be truly rewarding. Your feedback is always welcome so that we may improve this welcome message.
Oh yea, I have upvoted you and followed you. Many blessings from @introbot & @bycoleman
Thanks so much @introbot, much appreciated!
Welcome to the steemit community! I am new as well, and when I saw the caption "Meditating bananas & vegan bicycles" I knew I would enjoy the content you would create. I am very curious about the lifestyle difference between the US and Johannesburg. Currently, I am transitioning to a vegan lifestyle for myself. I've been a vegetarian for at least three years now, with rough patches in between. You might also like Ralph Smart, Infinite Waters on YouTube as well. Wishing you all the best!
Hey @daniellesully19, that's so awesome to hear?! I sat wondering what to title my post and thought that was a randomly appropriate one haha! That is brilliant and well done for beginning the journey to veganism! As a vegetarian you were already doing such a great job. It would most certainly be interesting to see the difference, so I will do my best to post some content regarding my lifestyle so we can compare! If you need anyone to chat to or throw some ideas around with regarding the veganism (or anything else), holler at a sister! And if you find yourself hitting another bad patch, give me a shout anytime and we can support each other!