You Don't Own Me!

That is the title of a song from my youth.  Leslie Gore sang this song to her boyfriend.

You don't own me
I'm not just one of your many toys
You don't own me
Don't say I can't go with other boys

And don't tell me what to do
Don't tell me what to say
And please, when I go out with you
Don't put me on display 'cause

You don't own me
Don't try to change me in any way
You don't own me
Don't tie me down 'cause I'd never stay

I don't tell you what to say
I don't tell you what to do
So just let me be myself
That's all I ask of you

I'm young and I love to be young
I'm free and I love to be free
To live my life the way I want
To say and do whatever I please

And don't tell me what to do
Oh, don't tell me what to say
And please, when I go out with you
Don't put me on display

I don't tell you what to say
Oh, don't tell you what to do
So just let me be myself
That's all I ask of you

I'm young and I love to be young
I'm free and I love to be free
To live

About 10 days ago, this song started coming to my mind - just bits and pieces, not even full lines.  Each day, I would remember a little more until I finally came up with the whole first line "You Don't Own Me".  Also during that same 10 days, I have had renewed issues with my diet.  The Lord has been dealing with me in many ways to stop eating the S.A.D. diet.  The novel I have been reading even spoke to me about things I shouldn't be eating.  A Facebook post showed "Human Meat".  And then when the song finally came out in full, it seemed to all come together.

Television commercials and magazine ads for fast food is the 'boyfriend' in this song.  So let's look at this song the way the Lord showed it to me: 

You don't own me
I'm not just one of your many toys
You don't own me
Don't say I can't go with other boys

Fast food doesn't own me anymore.  I admit to being addicted to burgers, pizza, French fries, etc.  But the way the fast food industry produces these products they are nothing more than toys.  They really have no nutritional value.  But, since I am addicted to them, they don't want me to eat healthy (that's the 'other boys'). 

And don't tell me what to do
Don't tell me what to say
And please, when I go out with you
Don't put me on display 'cause

But the ads tell me to eat more - SUPER SIZE ME!!!  They tell me to "have it your way"!  And after eating this way for so long, I am always on display because of my size.

You don't own me
Don't try to change me in any way
You don't own me
Don't tie me down 'cause I'd never stay

So this has become my new mantra when I am tempted to eat fast food items - You Don't Own Me!!!
You just tie me down but I am not going to stay there anymore!

I don't tell you what to say
I don't tell you what to do
So just let me be myself
That's all I ask of you

Fast food (toys) has been telling me what to say for a long time.  And it is like an alarm clock goes off at certain times of the day to tell me to go get some "Toys" to eat.  But I want to BE different!  I want to DO different!  I just want the fast food to stop calling me and let me do what I know I should do.

I'm young and I love to be young
I'm free and I love to be free
To live my life the way I want
To say and do whatever I please

When I eat properly, I feel young.  I also feel free.  I just want to eat to live instead of living to eat.  I want to live different than I have been living.  I want to be free!