Nothing Ventured, Nothing Gained

I know not all of my undertakings are true ventures, but I'm going to list some of my top fave "things-I've-tried" along with the gains (and losses).

1) Going Vegan (that's Vegan... as in: a vegetarian who omits all animal products from the diet --- not to be confused with going Las Vegan - which I might actually consider a venture as well... but we'll talk about that another day...) I desperately hate vegetables and got the bright idea that if I forced myself to eat more of them, I might change my tastes. It lasted two weeks.
What I gained: I learned to make a scrumptious artichoke dip. Before my vegan stint, I always dipped my artichokes in mayonnaise, but since mayo has eggs in it, and eggs come from a chicken, and a chicken is an animal even if it is bioengineered like crazy, I got a recipe online for vegan mayo! If you ever have a need for vegan mayo, don't fret, it can be done!
What I lost: just a tiny little bit of self-respect since it only lasted two weeks. Of course, I can't actually measure what I would have lost with respect to my marriage had I insisted on serving vegan dinners much longer.

2) Cloth Diapering. Three out of four of my children were cloth diapered. The factors that influenced this venture were: possible family history of allergies to disposable diapers; cost of disposable diapers; environmental concern.
What I gained: A lot of money. John-boy has never set butt in a cloth diaper, and every time I hand over the multi-million dollars a box of diapers costs at the store, I wonder why I don't bust out my cloth stash.
What I lost: The joy of a poop-stench-free house. We quit cloth-diapering when we put our house on the market. There was always a slightly detectable odor in the air around the laundry/downstairs bathroom. Also, I had an "incident" with the poop-sprayer toilet attachment that resulted in a LOT of trauma for me and a LOT of wall scrubbing.

3) Running. I credit my brother with introducing me to running. But then our relationship (me and running, not me and my brother) was on-again, off-again for years until I found the Couch to 5K program online (nowhere near the vegan mayo recipe, by the way). Since then, I have completed nearly two-thousand 5K races with no advancement into further distances. Somebody get me out of my rut!!!
What I gained: I'm in the best shape of my life, not counting a few (read: 10) extra pounds.
What I lost: Just a tiny little bit of self-respect when I realized that one of my favorite running songs is Gwen Stefani's "Hollaback Girl".

4) Home Birth. Me and home birth were meant to be. I don't like drugs. I do like control. I do like going against the flow. I don't like egotistical doctors. I do like having a bite to eat when I'm trying to push 94-pound babies out of my body. I don't like knife-happy Obstetricians. I do like midwives. I don't like unnecessary interventions. Did I mention I like control?
What I gained: Only the best four births possible!
What I lost: I don't know. A c-section or two? A close friendship with an anesthesiologist? Some towels?

Those are the ventures which I find easiest to write about and kinda fun. Certainly world travel; converting to the Catholic Church; being open to "one more kid"; living in community; homeschooling; ministry; and simply being a member of a very dysfunctional extended family all qualify as ventures - but I can't always write about those with humor, so I'll wait to share details until I get a book deal.