A bad day isn’t a bad life, but let’s be honest, sometimes the silver lining can be a little bit of a blur. However, South African marathon queen Gerda Steyn recently shared a heartfelt reminder that even on the toughest days, there’s always a reason to be grateful.
Johannesburg, South Africa (10 October 2025) – Gratitude is that invisible muscle we’re often told we need to exercise daily to always see and appreciate the good in our lives. And while that’s solid advice, the truth is that when life throws unexpected challenges our way, it can be difficult to find that single ray of hope.
These moments sneak up on the best of us, but South African marathon athlete Gerda Steyn, like the light that she is, recently penned a sweet reminder that even on those hard days, there’s always something to be grateful for!
In a social media post, the celebrated runner opened up about how her father told her a story about a guy who was always positive – even after losing his entire farm to a tragic fire.
“To everyone’s surprise, he dusted off his face, cleared his throat and said: ‘Today, I am grateful that all the other days aren’t like today’,” Gerda writes.
It’s the story of this man’s unwavering gratitude, even in the face of devastating loss, that Gerda was inspired to look at her recent leg injury from a different perspective ahead of her participation in the SPAR Women’s Challenge last week.
“I am grateful that every week is not like this past week. I had to get my knee looked at after falling, as it was really painful and swollen, but luckily it is still attached to my body and getting to the start line today was already a win!”
It’s from this newfound positivity that Gerda was able to appreciate that one bad thing didn’t rule out everything else going well for her. That even with her injury, she was still able to have a great training session on Tuesday, a fun photo shoot on Wednesday, met the most caring medical people she has ever seen and gained some perspective. On Sunday, despite not being able to get her head in the game, she experienced the thrill of running with 12,000 ladies at the women’s race in Johannesburg.
Golly, she even took a moment to appreciate the potholes she spotted on the road, noting them as part of being a Saffa!
It just goes to show that when the going gets tough, a shift in mindset is everything! As Gerda puts it:
“We change the tyres and we go again,” she said.
Sources: Gerda Steyn
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