Denton County Living Well Magazine September/October 2022 | Page 13

At the end of the day , I hope to be remembered as a good songwriter . The songs are my

legacy . ing what I ate ; I wasn ’ t conscious of nutrition and wasn ’ t taking care of myself . I was working hard while a pile of personal and emotional problems was underneath . Then , all at once , I fell apart . It was stomach problems and female problems — all over health problems . It was God ’ s way of telling me to get myself straight . I ’ m grateful it happened when I was still young enough to bounce back .”

Today , Parton still relies on her faith . And a healthy marriage to Carl Thomas Dean helps , too . She told Parade in 2015 , “ I married a good man , a guy completely different from me . He ’ s not in show business . He ’ s not resentful of any of that . He loves to hear about the things I do . I love to hear about the things he does . So , we enjoy each other ’ s company . We get along well . He ’ s got a great sense of humor . We ’ ve just been best buddies and best friends , and it ’ s working !”
As far as food goes , especially when on tour , Parton sticks to a low-carb diet . “ I ’ m a short little thing with a big , country girl appetite , so I have to watch it ,” Parton told FoxNews . com . “ I ’ ve been every size in the world , [ but ] I ’ d be big if I ate everything I wanted because I ’ m a big eater . So , my best bet is to stay on a low-carb diet since on low carb you can eat quite a bit of food of the things you ’ re allowed .”
It ’ s good Parton has a healthy balance in her life ; the 76-year-old Parton isn ’ t stopping anytime soon . She ’ s busy as usual . Dollywood got a facelift in 2022 . She published her first novel and has three albums and two movies in the works .
“ This is a lifestyle for me . I ’ m used to doing that . I ’ ve done it all my life , and I like the excitement of it ,” she said to 10 News in Pigeon Forge , Tennessee . “ You keep your energy up , and energy begets energy .”
When she takes a break , Parton said she likes to read and visit family before it ’ s time to tackle the next project .
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