Marg says that she did this to pamper herself and to have some beautiful photos to present to her kids. It is clear that her family is the most important thing in her life. I am sure that they’ll love these photographs.
Marg Gull
What does beauty mean to you?
I try to see beauty in all things and people, I feel that there is a form of beauty in most things.
To me beauty comes in many forms, from the frost on the ground on a winters morning, to rain pouring down, to a harsh sunburnt paddock to a lush green paddock with animals grazing contently.
There is beauty in all people’s looks, their temperament and personality, I see beauty in buildings, the bush and in the people that come into my workplace and I see BEAUTY especially in my family.
There is beauty in what I see when I sit in my lounge room and look out the windows to the trees lining the driveway, I find this view which is ever-changing as the seasons move on as magical and beautiful.
What makes you feel most beautiful?
Well, as the years have gone on and recently in the past 2 1/2 years as the children have left home and I have had time to focus on myself a little more, I feel beautiful when I am dressed up to go out and share a meal with friends. I feel beautiful when I am just at home alone and contently just going about my day. I felt beautiful when the children were younger and would just come up and hug me for no reason and tell me they loved me.
I feel beautiful just being ME.
What do you love about yourself?
I love the fact that I have got to this stage in my life and am still quite healthy.
I love that I am still married, and have lived out those promises that I made all those years ago.
I love the fact I am a mother and feel that I have done a good job at contributing to the character and lives of my children
I love the fact that I have created a home where everyone feels welcome, and this shows by people just dropping by for no reason, even the friends of my children that spent much time at our house through their teenage years. I love the fact that they still feel comfortable to come and share time with me .
I love the fact that I am willing to step outside of my comfort zone and try new things.
I love that I am open to listening and learning from people I don’t know and those I know and respect.
I love that I can talk to most people and develop a bond with them, and that gives me the opportunity to learn more about my own abilities as well as sometimes seeing from their point of view what I am blind to.
I love that I have many friends from various roads I have travelled in my life.
Tell me your story
Well, I am the middle child of 5 girls, we were raised by hardworking parents and those values that I saw in mum and dad and their tenacity in life even though we did not have much, often inspires me and my decisions still today.
Family values were important as we were growing up, and it is something I have tried to instil in our family over the years. After getting married, our adventure began with the first of our 5 children coming along and over they years, even though 5 children is a lot in today’s society, we have had many good business adventures and fun times which the children were part of – and these times were very satisfying. As the years went on and the children went on their own journeys, there were times where I struggled with my need, here now. I found it hard to adapt to the quietness of our home and felt as though I was not needed quite so much, I could see myself slipping into a depressed state there for a while, and then had to pick myself up and decide where to from here…
Well over the past 5 years we have had the opportunity to do some caravan travel around Australia, and I feel that I have adjusted to the opportunities that are on offer now as I move onto the next phase of my life.
After losing a few close friends recently and seeing the effect of these losses on the close ones left behind, it made me realise that I need to do the things that I want to do to satisfy myself and I feel that I can do this now without feeling the guilt of giving too much to myself. I wonder if this is something that comes to everyone or comes to you because of circumstances in life, well whatever the reason, I am here at this photo shoot to pamper myself I was going to say a little but I think that this is a lot… ha ha … and hopefully will be able to present some beautiful photos and memories, for my kids to appreciate in the near future and when I am gone… I have always been the one to snap snap snap a photo at every opportunity, much to the unwillingness now of my children and friends over the years, but as I look back at these very unprofessional photos I have in many old albums, and sometimes pull out when friends visit, it warms my heart by not only remembering the occasions we shared when they were taken but to see the pleasure it brings to people while looking at them.
I have been lucky enough to have played sport when I was younger in a carefree world, and to work with some amazing people in various business’s for ourselves and other workplaces, and over the years have made lifelong friends of all ages of which I am proud of.
So wrapping up my story I feel I have had a fantastic life so far, I was raised on good values and principles, I have worked hard, I have good health, I have a beautiful family , wonderful friends and have had a satisfying journey so far. There have and continue to be struggles, some low and very low times, which I have gotten through, with the help of my family and friends and with a motto I heard somewhere along the way, that being “If you are going through HELL – keep going”
I love to have fun, I love to try new things, and I am appreciative of anything that is offered to me. I am thankful for my life so far and am excited about my future.
My future which at the moment includes 2 beautiful grandsons and one more grand baby on the way… more travel, the possibility of selling our home and moving and who knows what else…
What do you think was the biggest turning point in your life?
On thinking about this, I see the past 18 months has had the biggest impact on me, and has “turned me” with the loss of a very close friend, a tragic event that occurred to one of my closest friends, the sudden passing of my niece, the sudden death of my daughters best friends husband and the feeling of helplessness in all these situations as well as not being able to help a family member see the volatile situation they are living in… these events have changed me as a person to someone who is or has developed a crust to try and protect myself from any further hurt.
These instances are not what I wanted to be the pivotal point in the of my life…but have impacted immensely with the direction I am taking forward.
What are you most grateful for?
I am grateful for my life and for the opportunities I have been given from that – the ability to see the glass as half full as opposed to half empty, I am very grateful for my family, my extended family, and especially my friends and my children’s friends who are now all adults. I am grateful for the inspiration I draw from all of them to adapt to making my life very satisfying – I feel privileged to have all these people in my life, and am grateful for the library full of knowledge that they offer to me for the cost of just being a friend.
I am grateful for what I have in my material world, and the fact that I am lucky enough to have good health, I am grateful that I can appreciate nature in all its forms, and this appreciation comes from upbringing and open mind, and I am grateful for that as well.
What is the greatest accomplishment of your life?
My FAMILY – our 5 CHILDREN………. no doubt – when I think of them it makes me very very proud of the tapestry we have created along our journey.
What is your most treasured memory?
Many, not one that stands out above the rest, but memories that come to mind that I treasure are, the earliest being at about 6 years old I would jump off the fence post trying to fly, my schooling having to drink the bottled milk that I did not like, treasured days playing sport being netball and basketball from which I still have valued friendships, many workplaces have created great memories, resulting in close friendships, family road trips with the children from a young age, to camping holidays, and the trip the children organised back to Noosa where we went with them at a young age. I have treasured memories of a yearly pilgrimage I did with my niece and her children and parents on Good Friday for the past 6 years…something that will never happen again…
The trips I have taken with a group of 12 other women each year to different places for the past 12 years.
I have beautiful memories of a business partnership with another family that was like no other i have ever heard of, and is still is very important to me and my family, the living environment was so unique that it has calved a path in their lives like no other I know.
Easter Camping with up to 10 families in a unique place that has sadly come to an end, so those memories are now more treasured as they will never happen again.
A trip around Australia with another couple 6 years ago that we still talk about on regular occasions.
Achievements my children have received over the years, make for proud treasured memories.
And one of the most recent being an “0” birthday I celebrated and shared with family friends and friends of my children which was a fantastic night of dress ups, fun, singing and dancing and still has people talking about the fantastic night it was for them as well….. well on reflection I have had so many treasured memories an these and many more I will not bore you will make me happy… I could go on and on… about the time a friend was helping me clean our food van and took a swipe with the broom at a mouse that ran past her and she smashed the end of the broom off and we laughed and laughed … these were treasured times.
What advice would you give to yourself when you were a teenager?
My spontaneous response is – Firstly learn to laugh at yourself, and learn to laugh with people, – Life does not need to be too serious. Respect and be honest to yourself.
Take every opportunity offered to you.
Absorb the knowledge that older people have when you are around them, as it will come in helpful to you as you journey through life.
Have fun and create “strong loyal friendships” they are what will get you through the hard times which will undoubtedly come into your life.
ALWAYS LOVE YOURSELF.
What do you value most in a friendship?
I value loyalty, honesty, the ability to share the good times and the hard times, without judgement of the emotional display shown through these times.
I value respect of feelings and the knowledge to know when space is needed.
I could not survive without my friendship groups, which have developed over many years of good times, and survived some hard times as well these are the people who I call ” MY FRIENDS”
Please finish the statement “I am a person who…” is easygoing and welcoming, who is open to every opportunity I see on offer, being this adventure that has made me think more deeply about myself and my life. I am a good person with strong morals and who loves her family. I am a person who at this age is trying to bring new things to my life, so that I can say at the end of my days, I never stopped trying to grow to be a better person.
I am person who is content with myself.
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