Seeking Contentment

Friday, January 20, 2017 · Mike Davis

Good morning,

Grab your coffee and pull up a chair and let’s get Friday started.

Heading toward my 54th birthday, I had thought that I was settled in my ways and not much needed change in my life. I felt like I had made the big changes in my 40s when I improved my diet and embraced serious exercise. I often told (probably more boasted) people that I ate enough types of food and did not need to add anything that came out of water or that I was as smart as I was going to be and (besides running education), further education was not in my future and so on and so…

There is an old country music song that has a line in it that goes something like this: “If you want to make God laugh, tell him your plans.” I certainly had my plans or at least, I was confident that I was comfortable with what I am. The laughter I can hear from above is almost annoying! Instead of settling into a relaxed sedentary life of running, golf, and mindless activity, I have been compelled to live! Kathy will tell you that I have been as stubborn as they come with things like my diet, salt intake, and even somewhat lazy. Contentment is often used as positive expression of what we seek, but it is also a description of laziness and stubbornness. Upon some self-introspection, I concluded that my contentment was both lazy and stubborn. Without getting gruesome with all that this introspection reveled, I will share a few things that I have changed my stubborn mindset about.

I have shared with you that I am now knee deep in classes as well as working on multiple certifications. The certifications are logical in that I want to improve my formal knowledge as a running coach and insure that NFLR is at the forefront of all that is available. Going back to college was never in my plans, as I said, I believed “I was as smart as I would ever be.” About 18 months ago, Kathy emailed me a description of programs at the community college where we would be retiring to. While they looked like great programs for a fitness minded person (Health Science), I was thinking; “no way do I want to go back to college”! When I finally settled into life in our chosen retirement location, I was not exactly feeling all that contented. Kathy was full steam ahead planning for her full course load and I was drinking a lot of coffee. Whether it was my wife’s willingness to take on the challenge of a full class load or my realization that I was too young to sit around being contented, at the last possible moment, I enrolled in 2 college courses. Not exactly the extreme class load that many others challenge themselves with, but certainly enough of a challenge to scare me.

Under my Google news page, I subscribe to health stories, as well as getting daily email from multiple health sources. This past week, I was reading yet another article that was expressing the benefits of the Mediterranean Diet. Of all the various healthy life diets I have read about, the med-diet seemed to be the most healthiest based on the well roundedness of the foods and the benefits realized. The latest findings of benefits were related to reducing dementia and as I move closer toward that age range, I certainly pay more attention to that subject. However, my stand against adding such new things to my diet, particularly anything that comes out of water, would make the Mediterranean Diet impossible. Couple that with my affinity for red meat so, the idea of ever going to such a change of diet lifestyle seemed crazy. Another reason I have never felt like I need to change my diet is that my annual physicals have always reflected great numbers, so why change?

When you seek out a stock to invest in, you hopefully read a prospectus. Every prospectus has a statement in it that says something to this effect: “Past performance does not guarantee future earnings.” Much like the stock market, yesterday’s actions will not necessarily guarantee today’s results. Our bodies require us to consider the process and as we change (get older), that diet choice makes a difference. For me, I have been fortunate to overcome pour choices such as: sugars, red meat, minimal vegetables and by grace of God (and exercise), I have been a little better than okay health wise. Contentment might seem okay at this point in my ladder years, what’s a few extra pounds or I have some room to even raise my LDL-Cholesterol without any alarm. Again, whether it is divine intervention or better understanding, I decided to challenge myself. This week I did not start the Mediterranean Diet, but I eat salmon twice, replaced dressings with olive oil and kept my hands off the salt shaker. Those are all components of the Mediterranean diet lifestyle and whether I decide to follow it fully, is questionable, but I am resolved to embrace many aspects. Kathy will attest that eating fish would be a big step, but keeping my hands off a salt shaker might be equally amazing. Contentment gone, resolve in.

Is this blog meant to be a self-awareness confession that helps me in my endeavor for change? Not whatsoever. My chat this morning is solely about understanding change and contentment. How I treated my wife yesterday, may not benefit how she feels today. Getting older does not mean I shouldn’t challenge myself to be smarter, healthier, or even a better human being. A willingness to forego contentment and instead embrace challenges, brings me a real contentment that I can actually enjoy and be proud of.

A side note: Salmon is supposed to be brain food, and I need all of that I can get for my studies!

What I love about running is not the actual act of the run, but the never-ending challenge that comes from putting on the shoes, getting out the door, and getting down the road. Contentment might be that I ran 3 times already this week, but personal growth comes from the completion of that goal of four runs for the week.

Have a great Friday and seek contentment through actions not sitting still. God Bless and keep the faith!

Mike