longevity

i have a strained relationship with sugar.  in a lot of ways, i believe it is at the root of all evil, especially at the root of our disease ridden western culture.  yet somehow, it tugs at my heartstrings, in the form of pies and cakes and donuts and candybars, custards and ice cream and hard candy, even down to the honey in my tea. yep, i'm a sweettooth.  but what i've learned is: it's a trick, you see, that's my body playing a trick on me.   for my health, i've cut out almost all of the refined white sugar from my diet, and refuse to buy it (or anything containing it) at the grocery store.  but who can resist a quarter machine serving of m&m's, or a pint sized butterfinger on halloween?  certainly not me.  it's a weakness.  our culture has made sugared food overly abundant, not only appealing to the palette, but to our well trained eyes and our emotions.  sitting here today, painting this donut bought especially for the subject matter of my painting, it was awfully hard to not just break the thing apart and bite into that cruchy sprinkled topping. but i didn't.  because i know better.  instead, i might save it, put it under a little glass dome, and see just how long it will last.