To Thine Own Self Be True

I've heard that saying many a time, heck even Reba MacEntire sings it in her song "Fancy." But what does it really mean and when does it apply? To me, it means "follow your heart as you are the one that has to live with your decisions, no one else does." And it also means "give the brain a bone to chew on so that you can hear what the heart actually has to say."

In my last blog I mentioned about the possibility of going back to teach the courses I previously taught. Well I did get the requesting phone call so now that I'm in the hotseat, what's my answer going to be? Note that this is happening before I go to the Ponoka Stampede to be in the Western Art Show. I did get quiet and I turned down the teaching. I had to follow my heart because there is where the happiness, peace, joy, and serenity lies. I felt good about my decision and knew that it was right.

So what happened at the Stampede? On Friday, out of the blue, a fellow was filming my booth, my art, and me (Dennis too) for Women in Pro Rodeo from the US and a link for the broadcast will be on their Facebook page. He was in Ponoka covering the Women's Barrel Racing and also was catching other women in western art, which I was one. One can't pay for that kind of exposure! Needless to say, I was doing cartwheels for the next few hours. Plus my artwork was picked up by a gallery. Love it!

Aside from career path, I've found that "to thine own self be true" is very prominent in what I feed my body, aka my diet. My body knows what it wants and needs, I just have to be smart enough to listen to it and follow through. There are a myriad of diets and diet labels floating around, but I have my own: flexitarian. I am a vegan, vegetarian, omnivore, raw foodist, Paleo, and sometimes "dammit I want it" depending on the day/month/hour of how my body feels. (I am 100% dairy-free and 99% gluten-free) There are times I chow and times not so much. Sometimes I want meat, sometimes I don't, but what I always want is good food. Right now I am working on keeping my starches low and seeing what happens when I do have some starch. I want to see if I feel sluggish, puffy, or whatever when I consume more than I should starch. Lots of protein, good fats, and a ton of veggies with moderate fruit works for me so far.

What about chocolate (dark only)? It's a vegetable, a superfood and comes from the cacao tree with the scientific name of the cacao tree being Theobroma cacao, which means "food of the Gods." Of course it's in my diet.
Sherri Donohue