Govern the Clock

"I must govern the clock, not be governed by it." ~Golda Meir

A question someone asked me the other day sparked the idea for this piece.  An acquaintance and I were talking about my new eating lifestyle for inflammation control due to Chronic Lyme, and she asked how I could afford to eat organic whole foods all of the time.  How could I afford it financially and also afford it time wise as it takes a lot more time to eat this way because you just can't grab processed foods and go.

My answer to her was, "I can't afford not to...both with time and money."

You see, in my mind it is all about choices.  Yes, organic whole foods cost more.  Yes, it is time consuming to create meals that are healthy.  Yes, it takes more time to grocery shop and read labels.  Yes, it is a pain in the nether region to eat out at restaurants.  Yes, avoiding GMO's seems like a monumental task most days.  Yes, I must think ahead, plan, and pack my own food on outings to birthday parties, events, etc.  Yes, yes, yes!

With that said, our time here on this side of forever, walking this earth is limited.  I want to feel the best I can and take care of this body of mine, that I consider a divine gift from my Creator, while I am living in it.  My change of lifestyle when it comes to eating has allowed me to lose 36 pounds, weighing what I weighed before marriage and kids.  I still have symptoms of chronic Lyme and coinfections, but I can't control those little bacteria swimming in my veins.  I can, however, control my eating as not to feed the bacteria even more.  In my head, this change in eating, that began on August 9, 2014, allows me (at least in my head) to govern the clock so to speak.  I am buying myself time on this earth to spend with my loved ones by eating cleanly.  I may not have the final say on how long I get to roam the earth, but I will be trying to make this body work as best it can for me while I am blessed to be here.

So, "I can't afford not to," was not directed toward referencing money, but time as well.  How do you govern your clock...your time here on earth?  I'd love to hear how you take care of yourself and your families.

About the quote:  The quote for this piece of art is from Golda Meir, the first woman prime minister of Israel.  She was quite the remarkable woman.  After reading her short bio, it became clear to me how far behind the U.S. is in electing woman leaders. It really is sad.  If you'd like to learn more about this amazing woman, click through to the wikipedia article.

About the art:  This piece began as a vintage photo of a lady dressed in her finery.  I collaged in the tiger head, the bird, and the hourglass.  I then digitally painted the completed collage using Corel Painter and Adobe Photoshop CS6.  Then, I took the completed painting and added texture layers, the printed background, and adjustment layers in CS6.  I hope you like it!

On a sidenote, I am still accepting reader questions for a future post.  Just send me a message through the sidebar or go to Nine Acres Designs Facebook page and send a private message.  All questions are welcome, both personal (within limits) and professional!  So far the questions have spanned both areas!  Thanks to those who have already sent some in!