I did it. I actually did it. I mean, I knew I would, I guess I just thought it would have been more difficult. Besides barbecue, turkey was one of my favorite meats in the entire world. Thanksgiving turkey, specifically.

But this year, despite a table full of two different kinds of Thanksgiving turkey, I didn’t even crave it. As Ian’s family gathered around the table filling their plates, they probably noticed me sitting there in silence for a few rare minutes. I was staring down the turkey, waiting for it to transform into some kind of miracle food, looking all tasty and magnificent, and start calling my name. But it didn’t. It just sat there, looking like the corpse of a dead bird raised squashed in captivity that never had a chance.

I happily ate the side items.

At dinner with Ian’s dad and dad’s wife later that night, turkey and ham were served again. We were at Maggiano’s family-style Thanksgiving, though, where you order several different dishes in addition to the turkey and ham. I was grateful that four-cheese ravioli and several non-meat side dishes were available and everyone agreed we could select them.

I had been preparing myself for Thanksgiving almost since I initially started eating vegetarian, thinking it would take a miracle to resist turkey since I’m not exactly Mrs. Willpower. But I underestimated myself, apparently. Sitting there in front of the turkey and ham at both dinners, it seemed perfectly natural to not even consider eating them.

That makes me incredibly happy. It makes me feel like I’ve reached a milestone—that if I no longer worry about struggling with missing a certain meat dish, maybe I’ll really be able to do this. It also makes me more confident that I am doing the right thing for my body—for myself in general, I suppose.

And hopefully some turkeys appreciate it, too.

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