Some of us are good speakers. Some of us are good writers. Some of us are artists. Some of us are awesome cooks. We're all valuable. We can all be heard. We don't need to open a vegan restaurant, be published in a major publication or shown in a big gallery (though all of those possibilities are nice). Never forget that, just as little moments effect change, little voices can roar loudly.

It's not a bad thing to adopt a plant-based diet for health. But if ethics are not a part of one's choice to go "vegan" should the word even be used? Would clarifying help or harm the animals?

I've read more tweets, Facebook posts, and "news" stories about Anne Hathaway wearing vegan shoes and mentioning vegan ice cream at the Oscars this week than I can count. And it's reminded of an important vegan lesson, one that I had forgotten.

I hate it when someone makes a sweeping generalization about vegans being “too hardcore” or “crazy.”