When I Hit A Fork In The Road

Is it possible that the things that are lacking in my life are that way simply because I'm not a big enough bitch?  Or because I tend to hesitate to say how I'm really feeling when I really should just let it out?  I just finished reading The Theory Of Opposites by Allison Winn Scotch and it got me thinking - maybe I should take the advice sprinkled throughout this novel and do something with it.  Maybe, I should start taking left turns instead of right ones.  Maybe, instead of staying within my comfort zone, sometimes painstakingly, I should venture outside of it a little more often.
I'm not saying that I'm going to morph myself into a royal bitch that no one will like.  I need to learn to stand up for myself more often.  I tend to keep my mouth shut when something is bothering me or I am being treated unfairly, whether it's at work, in relationships, or even when I know I'm getting screwed over while making some sort of financial transaction.
I've gotten a lot better at it over the last few years - I used to be a complacent doormat, I might as well face it.  Not so much anymore, but there's always room for improvement.
I can only control the present.  To an extent.  Like when I learned last week, from a fellow photographer, that apparently someone at work had an issue with the posing of my subjects and that was the reason I had been put on a few jobs as assistant and not a photographer.  The thing is - I had been doing it my way since August and nothing had been said to me.  I was so upset I nearly launched into a full blown panic attack on the job.  Ordinarily I would let it go and not bother to speak up to person I should have, the person who had the opportunity more than once to address this issue with me as I sat in their office.  But I remembered the book, and I did the opposite - I spoke up.  I called one of the supervisors (the person I needed to talk to directly was out of town,) on my way home that day and told them how upset I was that there were "issues" with my work and I was never informed, that if there was a problem, someone should have addressed it with me so I could rectify it.  I also made it a point to shoot over the two-day job to prove that I am a good photographer, tweaking the things I knew needed improvement anyway.
So yeah, ordinarily, I would have sat back and done nothing until I was approached about the situation.  But if I had done this, who knows when that would have happened.  I had to take action, especially because the integrity of my work was technically in question.  I have yet to hear any backlash, so I don't even know if I did the right thing, aside from the person I had expressed my grievance to informing me that they checked out my past work and didn't see any problems.
It's a tough call sometimes.  I'm one of those people who has a crushing fear of angering someone, whether it be a friend, a lover, a family member or an employer.  I sometimes stumble over my words, even in my head, and fear that saying whatever it is that I need to say will do more harm than good.  Past experience and the environment I grew up in contribute heavily to this.
So it's definitely time to start making the left turns when I hit a fork in the road, because I've become painfully aware that always going right hasn't really been working out for me.      

What I Put In My Mouth Shouldn't Be Anyone Else's Business

-Installment Number One-
So I'm not a vegan.  Nor do I even have the slightest desire to become one.  If you're a vegan, cool.  Good luck with that.  I don't need it literally and figuratively shoved down my throat.  Unfortunately most vegans I've come across have a tendency to do just that.  Not all, but most.
But I'm not a glutton for junk food either.  Do I hate the fact that organic food is so much more expensive than non?  Yes.  Do I hate the fact that it's easier for me to hit Wawa and grab a container of grapes, cheese and crackers because a) the prep work has already been done for me and b) I can tell  myself it's healthy?  Yes.  I don't know what kind of preservatives and shit have been put in that stuff, but I tell myself it's better than a hot dog.  Yes, I am bothered by the fact that I, among with millions of other people, have become complacent and basically replaced nutrition with convenience.  The problem is I don't know what to do about it.  I don't really know how to grow a garden, and a $50 trip to the grocery store is less strain on my wallet than a $100 one.  It kills me that food - a basic necessity we all need to survive - has gotten so expensive over the last two years.  I've watched a box of Triscuits go from $2.59 to $4.59 in a matter of months.  Same with milk, bread and cereal.  It's ironic that government programs have been established to encourage America to eat healthier, yet "bad" food is still less expensive to manufacture than the "good food."  I can get Hot Pockets for $1.50 as opposed to chicken breasts and fresh vegetables running me over $10.
Does it bother me that I see obese kindergartners all the time because it's easier and  less expensive to run through McDonald's drive through and order from the dollar menu three nights a week rather than have a home cooked meal on the dinner table?  Absolutely.
Occasionally I enjoy a big-ass steak, medium rare thanks.  Or a slice of greasy heaven from Grotto's, which I think we all should be entitled to every once in a while.  Don't judge me.  I have learned the art of moderation.  Go eat your gluten free cookies.