Monday Quote about mothers
Posted on by Debbie

What does being content with your life look like?

Contentment is a state of happiness and satisfaction.

It’s not all beer and skittles but sometimes things just work out…

It’s funny that I’m in the middle of writing a post about losing my mojo and have been writing it for some time now. I seem to have hit a roadblock with motivation, passion, ideas and even writing the actual post but this weekend, things all came together for me in another area of my life at least.

Mother’s Day Classic 2019

It was Mother’s Day here in Australia over the weekend and every year for the past 5 years or so I have run in the Mother’s Day Classic in Canberra. Some years it’s been with my daughter and son-in-law, some years it’s just been me and the thousands of others who support this great cause. I know of other friends who make this an annual event with family for their own reasons. My friend Sue from Sizzling towards 60 and Beyond wrote a post yesterday about her annual tradition of running with her daughter, in memory of her mother.

This annual event helps to raise money and support for Breast Cancer research and I’ve always been happy to donate to this worthy cause.

It’s inspiring to know that in 22 years of the Mother’s Day Classic events around Australia, over $35 million dollars has been raised with 1.27million participants. I’m proud to be counted in those numbers.

Mother’s Day Classic

Those attending tend to be happy and ready for anything the weather can throw at them. Some dress up, there’s a lot of pink around and it’s an event suitable for all ages, whether you want to run 10km, 5 km or walk the course or push your baby in a pram. The Canberra event is the closest for me but is still a 3 hour drive from home for me!

This year it held special significance as my sister has recently had surgery and treatment for Breast Cancer, which she has written about in her own blog Musings from the Cold.

Before the run in my Mother's day classic beanie
Before the Mother's Day Classic 2019
Canberra's Mother's Day Classic 2019
After finishing the Mother's Day Classic 2019

Despite not having done much actual running lately, I was determined to give it a go again this year. I have been walking, riding my bike and keeping active just not a lot of running for various reasons, mainly isolation and motivation I think. (Back to my post I’m trying to write as mentioned above.)

I’m never going to be a fast runner but I am committed. I had a few issues with sore hips, tight muscles and concerns about my fitness in the days before the race. Then on the morning of the run I woke with a cricked neck, not able to move it much to the left and with general soreness throughout my body.

It was a freezing cold, grey foggy Canberra morning but I was determined to make an effort and resigned myself to walking the 5kms, something I knew I could manage. I sent a message to my sister (who is in Melbourne) to say I wasn’t able to run but would still turn up, and she was happy with that. In fact she told me a gentle walk was all that was required and to not push myself.

I was taken by surprise at the emotion I felt looking around at the crowd, the tribute cards, the entertainment, the displays, the information – despite having done it all before. It was the personal attachment I now had through my sister’s diagnosis and I was feeling very emotional as a result. I participated in the warm up activities and felt quite good heading to the starting line. Did I mention it was only 4 degrees at the start of the run??

I decided that I could start off by running, as my husband suggested, and gradually slow down to a brisk walk as the crowd thinned out around me.

Instead I started running and didn’t stop! The whole 5km!! I started pacing behind a few other runners but ended up passing them, so I latched onto someone else and she slowed down after a while and I kept going. It wasn’t easy, or very pretty, but at the 3km mark I said to myself, you’ve run this far you might as well keep running. And I did just that.

I smiled and thanked the volunteers as I went by, laughed at the entertainers and encouraged other runners as I ran with them. I remember the run in 2017 where two unknown ladies took me under their wing towards the end of the race and helped me finish running and not walking as I was slowing down in the last bit. They gently pushed me along and I like to think I did that to one or two other runners yesterday – paying it forward so to speak.

“Be content with what you have;
rejoice in the way things are.
When you realize there is nothing lacking,
the whole world belongs to you.” 

Lao Tzu

I was so pleased with my effort and thrilled that the emotion pushed me on. I was running for my sister and I didn’t want to let her down. It wasn’t my fastest 5km but considering the lack of training I wasn’t surprised, but the fact that I just kept on running and managed to finish made me so happy.

At the end of the run I messaged my sister to tell her I’d actually ran all the way, and her response was, “I thought you’d find it difficult not to run”. She knows me only too well 🙂 . She also said it could have been so easy for me not to even show up, and that had flashed through my mind a few times during the morning. But show up I did!!

A funny moment on the run – my husband was waiting to get a photo of me near the finisher’s zone but he didn’t recognise me as I’d taken off my gloves, beanie and jacket along the way. I yelled at him while waving madly and as he started getting his camera ready, I ended up having to run backwards just so he could get this photo of me!! It just shows I’ll do anything for a photo! It probably took minutes off my official time too 🙂

Mother's Day Classic 2019
Running backwards in the 2019 Mother’s Day Classic

Are you content?

So in answer to my own question, yes generally I am content. There are lots of areas of my life that I need to work on but at this moment in time I can honestly say I am content. How about you?

I am satisfied and content with my efforts; my 58 year old body; my family and my health. That to me, indicates a sense of contentment 🙂

My family celebrated Mother’s Day in a lovely way, sending messages and giving and receiving gifts. I spent the day with one of my daughters, a son-in-law, my granddaughter and my husband. We had a delicious lunch out with friends and I sent messages to my mother, mother-in-law and my sister. It was lovely to celebrate with my daughter as it was her first Mother’s day as a new mother and my first as a grandmother – so special!!

Monday Quote about mothers
Quote about mothers

I hope you can find some contentment in your life, some satisfaction with your achievements.

 In the meantime, I’ll continue working on my draft post and maybe one day, it will get finished.

Deb xx

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Linking up to Denyse’s #Lifethisweek with the prompt of Contentment and Midlife Share the Love Party 66 #mlstl

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73 Replies to “What does being content with your life look like?”

  1. Hi Debbie, first of all, congratulations on the run! I’ve never been a runner and can’t quite see the point in it (why run when you can walk, right?). But some people really enjoy it, and it seems you do, and it’s really quite an achievement to run 5kms! And you’re still smiling near the end! You’re one amazing woman, that’s for sure. And thanks for this post, it’s made me realise that I’m pretty content with my life and the moment – I’ve got lots to appreciate. And what I’m not content with, I’m in the process of changing, so all’s good! Enjoy the rest of your week! Visiting from MLSTL and pinned. 🙂

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    1. Thanks for your great comment Cheryl, being content is something we all seem to have to work at I’m so glad to hear you’re feeling it at the moment. Great to have you visit from MLSTL

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  3. Fantastic Post Deb and you haven’t lost your mojo that is for sure. I thoroughly enjoyed reading about the Mother’s Day Classic run and thanks for the shout out. I always get teary when I pin my tribute card for my Mum, to the tribute wall. Firstly, because I still miss her even though she died in 1986 but also because there are so many younger women losing the battle against cancer. It breaks my heart seeing all the tributes. I’m like you I have to get a photo at the end and the medal just to prove I did it! Well done you and we all are much stronger mentally than we think. Our bodies are capable of more than we give them credit for. I’m actually quite content at the moment in most areas of my life. I have come to accept that I will always be looking for some way to inspire others and motivate them but life is pretty good for me at the moment. Thank you for your friendship and being a valued member of the #MLSTL community. Hope to see you in June for another photo shoot! 🙂 xx

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    1. You’re right Sue, we are all much stronger than we think at times. You do a great job at inspiring others and I’m so lucky to have this supportive community around me. The whole premise of the run is inspirational and I’m so glad I got to push through and do it on Sunday. I don’t know about losing my mojo, maybe I’m just needing a bit more self belief! Thanks for your lovely comment and encouragement.

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  4. Deb! Just loved this-absolutely loved it. Good for you! It just makes me so happy reading about your “victory”. It’s amazing what our bodies are capable of. You are inspiring me to get out there and go for a run!

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  5. It sounds to me like you were looking for your mojo in the wrong post! 🙂 Congrats on the run and Best Wishes to your sister! The heart knows where it belongs. #mlstl

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  6. Congratulations on doing the run and I think that’s a great event to have on Mother’s Day. I also liked the quote – often contentment is a choice – and one worth choosing!

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  8. Next time you feel flat and unmotivated, come back and read some of your followers comments. THEY love what you get up to and you richly deserve their congratulations and admiration.

    I sure am not a runner nor the walker I think I need to be..motivation? Nah, just not wanting to much. But one year many moons ago, I was going to walk the Mother’s Day classic in Sydney. I had lost a lot of weight and I was rearing to go because I just wanted to ‘show I could.’ I came down with a virus and my GP forbad me to participate because my whole body would have been comprised as it was trying to fight the virus. I was so sad.

    I too would be emotional at this event thinking of your sister and her breast cancer. You done good Deb! In fact, you dug deep!!! Slight reference to Boy Swallows Universe.

    Thanks for sharing on #lifethisweek and next week’s optional prompt is 20/51 Share Your Snaps #4 20/5/19 so do join in! Denyse

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    1. Your comments always make my day Denyse! This one especially 🙂 What a shame you didn’t get to walk the Mother’s Day Classic all those years ago, but I do love your BSU reference 🙂 . Thanks for the prompt, I enjoyed writing this post in response to it and I also love all the comments. I’m truly blessed 🙂 xx

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  11. I loved reading this pist Deb for so many reasons. I always say that the first step is just to show up. If you do that you are giving yourself a chance and that’s what you did. I can hear how proud you’re feeling and so you should. The Mothers Day classic is a fabulous event. I did it most years in my running days and have many happy memories. Well done Deb also on working out your contentment issue #MLSTL Will share

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    1. Thanks Jennifer and you’re right – just showing up is half the battle won. I also have a commitment thing, if I say I’m going to do something then I want to do it, so that’s what I did on Sunday. I’m off for a massage today to see if I can iron out some of those kinks!! Thanks for sharing and for understanding 🙂

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  12. Congrats for completing the 5kms. Perhaps the blogging mojo would be helped with less pressure to put out so many posts. Maybe you could restrict the number of blog posts to one a week? Just a thought. One thing about life is it’s unpredictability and the challenge of finding contentment with those changes. It can be only just a state of mind, and, seeing just how lucky we all are compared to many. #MSTL

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    1. Thanks for your support Suz, it’s not so much my blogging mojo that’s gone AWOL but just a general blah-ness. I think keeping myself to a schedule of blogging actually helps me in some ways and although it seems to be putting undue pressure on myself at times, I think I need that structure. Maybe I’m just going through one of those episodes and need to have some more self belief. You’re so right, life is unpredictable and contentment is a moveable feast at times. I’m happy with my run and myself at the moment so that’s a good start 🙂 Hope all is going well with you and The Squire, I think of you often.

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      1. Oh, I see, well keep up the blogging then 🙂 Yes structure is important to keep us focussed. I can relate to the blah-ness that can hit when least expected. Like you doing exercise is a major help and when the “sh*t really starts to hit the fan”, I may turn into Forrest Gump 🙂 Les has a chest infection and hopefully coming off chemo for a week and more antibotics will get rid of it. Apart from that, all is okay. Thanks for asking Deb, much appreciated.

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        1. Please wish him well from both of us. Your walking and training sound great, it certainly does help out with the blah-ness 🙂 Take care of yourself! I just read your Melbourne post, I missed it somehow!! Loved it, left a comment and pinned it 🙂

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        2. Regards are sent back to you and Grant from the both of us 🙂 Just not long arrived back from a trek up and around the Mount, never seems to get easier even with improved fitness!!

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  14. Yay! Well done you! The MDC is one of my favourite events on the running calendar although I didn’t take part this year because we were away. Loved that you ran backwards for the photo – that’s the sort of thing I would do. It sounds like you had a winning Mother’s Day!

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    1. Thanks Sammie, I hope you enjoyed your time away! It’s true I’ll do anything for a photo 🙂 I had a fabulous Mother’s Day topped off with spending time with my daughter and granddaughter. I must say thanks for introducing me to Goodr sunnies too 🙂

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  15. I read the comment by patwdoyle11, and agree wholeheartedly. Most days now I just feel contented, not deliriously happy, but not miserable either. I love the word, and I live the feeling. When I was younger it was happiness I strived for, but that seemed to come in spurts only, where as contentment seems to hang around even during life’s down times. Well done on the run, and well done on dragging yourself out of bed on such a dull day to do it. Looking forward to that blog you’re working on, and maybe just the act of telling us you’re struggling with it will be enough to get your mojo back.

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    1. I’m so glad this post and Pat’s comment resonated with you Chris, it makes it all worthwhile when connections like this are made. It was a struggle getting out to do the run but I was glad to do it. I think you’re right, by working on the difficult post and mentioning it, has helped get things sorted in my mind. It’s great to get these conversations going so thanks for joining in.

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  17. I’ve never been a runner but have had them all around me for years – friends, hubby. And I know how things have gotten more challenging as we’ve all gotten older. I think it’s fabulous that you ended up running the whole way! Good for you. And I hope all is going well for your sister and her recovery.

    Personally I’ve come to love the word contentment. It articulates how I’m feeling on most days!

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  20. You are a true inspiration Debbie. What commitment you have to the Mothers Day Classic and Breast Cancer research. And obviously what love you have for your sister. It was lovely to read of the emotion setting you off running, despite your concerns about your fitness and sore neck. Then you ran all the way! Good on you!!!

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    1. Oh thanks so much Estelle, I really appreciate your encouragement and comment. It was a great event and i’m so glad I managed to run it this year, maybe it was the lack of expectation that helped me! Hope you had a lovely day too.

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  22. Well done on managing to run the whole distance – what a great sequence of events, ‘I’ll just turn up for the start’ – ‘I’ll just walk the whole way’ – ‘I’ll run a bit and then walk the rest’ – and then not only running the whole way but encouraging and supporting others as you went!

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  24. You’re a real trooper Deb. And whether you believe it or not, you’re inspirational. I am deeply moved that you ran, partly at least, for me. Your support is immeasurably important for me and I appreciate you pushing yourself on my behalf.
    We’ll run one together in the future!!

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  25. I wrote about losing my blogging mojo last year Deb. I think I was just so flat from work and from life in general that it was hard to keep motivated to anything much at all. The funny thing was that I pulled back a bit (I was going to go from 3 posts a week down to one a week) and then found I missed it too much and ended up settling on two posts a week and that’s where I still am atm. Good on you for pushing thru and doing the marathon – you would have been so proud of yourself (and so NOT proud if you’d piked at the last minute). I’ll wait to read your mojo post to see how else I can cheer you on – because you know you’re fabulous don’t you? 🙂 xx

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    1. Oh thanks so much Leanne, your comment made me smile and immediately I felt much better! It’s funny how we go through stages with blogging, sometimes we feel on top of our game and at other times not. It’s a confidence thing for me I think. I love what you’re doing with your blog and admire you so much. I must tell you it wasn’t a marathon I was running but I wanted to savour the thought for a few minutes longer…..

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  26. I used to run a lot. Now finding it quite difficult. I do walk rather briskly a long distance at least thrice a day in the morning as part of my exercises.
    Contentment is something that one has to find oneself. And I am quite happy and contented because life has been quite kind to me. Not to say that there are a lot of dreams unfulfilled, but that shouldn’t mean, I shouldn’t count my blessings and be happy for whatever I have got and achieved.
    — Pradeep | bpradeepnair.blogspot.com

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    1. I agree with you that contentment is something one has to find oneself. It sounds like you are feeling quite content with life, which is lovely to hear! Thanks so much for stopping by 🙂

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  28. You are such an inspiration Deb. What a fabulous effort. A huge congratulations for running the whole 5kms, and even some backwards! That made me laugh. In answer to your question, I have my moments but yes, I’m mostly content and even more so now, after reading this. Wonderful post. xx 😊

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    1. Oh Miriam, I know how hard things are at times and I really don’t feel inspirational but I accept your compliment xx . I really am writing a post about losing my mojo but at this moment in time, I’m happy to say I’m content with life. Thanks so much my beautiful friend.

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      1. You’re not the only one that’s lost her mojo Deb, but let’s just call this a temporary lapse, shall we? Here’s to getting it back, stronger than ever. Oh, and yes, despite what you think, you are inspiring. 🙂 Hugs xx

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    1. Yes I agree Donna, and I’m sure that’s why I felt compelled to do it despite not being in top form! Thanks for reading and for your comment, I love the fact we can share our thoughts across the world like this 🙂

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