…see what I did there? Yeah, pretty lame, I know. Moving on.

I’m not exactly sure how I feel about the idea of good energy, good vibes, karma and the like. To an extent, I do believe that if you surround yourself with positivity, you will be healthier and happier than a peer who views the world through poo-colored glasses and slips into Debbie Downer* mode 500 times a day. But I’m not so sure about the next level of karma, the idea that if you send out positivity and good vibes, they’ll come back to you in some cosmic-scale recycling effort. I don’t think it’s impossible, but I do find it implausible. On the other hand, perhaps upbeat people surround themselves with similarly-tempered folks, so their interactions are generally more pleasant? Or perhaps they make others feel happy and centered and calm, and those others subconsciously return the favor? I just don’t know.

That said, I had what I can really only call a good karma experience recently. See, I have this friend (no, really!). Or, more specifically, I had this friend; he was an essential part of our core group of pals for most of college, and I was especially close to him. During senior year, however, he sort of grew apart from our group for various reasons. After we graduated, I harbored a fair amount of anger, underneath which was a large pool of hurt. For over a year, we barely spoke. And by barely, I mean I sent him a Christmas card, and he sent one back, and that was it.

A few months ago, though, I realized how stupid that was. Because when you’re close to someone, when you can talk about things that matter like life and feelings and not just shiny surface-issues, that’s a friendship worth preserving. So I let it go. I let go of the anger and the hurt and the need for an explanation for what transpired. It was liberating, and so much easier than I’d imagined. And then I reached out to him, and despite my fears, his reaction was nothing but positive. Now, I am so glad to have him back in my life. We always had great rapport, and I missed it. Even though he’s in New York and I’m in Wisconsin, it’s still great to Gmail chat every couple of nights and to catch up on the past year.

Now, you might be thinking, “Kelly, that is all warm and fuzzy, but where is the karma? I was promised karma chameleons and there is a distinct lack of it in this post.” Or, perhaps, “Kelly, I do not give a hoot about your college friends or your karmic musings. Where’s the damn food?!” To both of you I say, hold on to your hats! It’s coming (sort of)!

Look at him! He's like a tiny dinosaur saying, "Bitch, please. I've had it with the karma jokes!"

Image from here.

My friend is the bio-major type, and he currently has a couple of research positions working on various projects. Someone he works with is an ex-vegan (sad!), and when my friend found out that I’m vegan now, he told me that his ex-vegan friend was looking to get rid of some vegan cookbooks, and did I want them? Because he’d gladly send them to me!

Did I EVER want them! Today, I received this stack of fabulousness:

Kram-o-rama!

Basically, Sarah Kramer now has some serious real estate on my cookbook shelf.

Anyway, let’s recap the chain of events: I extend the olive branch to my friend. My friend reciprocates. I get free vegan cookbooks. The only possible explanation? Karma, baby!

I let go of negativity and consciously chose positivity, and I was rewarded with Sarah Kramer. Thanks, Mr. Chameleon, sir.

Do you believe in good energy and karma and the power of positivity? And on another note, what’s your favorite recipe from any of those cookbooks? :)

* Yes, I did watch every single Debbie Downer skit on Hulu to choose the best one to post here. It was research! BLOGGING’S HARD WORK, Y’ALL.