At the start of this year, in my very first class in the TAFE course I enrolled in my teacher asked the class "How do you eat an elephant?"

She then outlined what the course entailed and told us not to worry as we would eat the elephant together and "One bite at a time!" 

For the record, I was studying Certificate IV in Assessment and Training, and I did indeed eat that elephant, along with the other 9 learners who managed to finish the course with me. We were told that over 600 people applied to get into the course, around 30 were accepted and only 10 of us completed it.

Along the way I admit I did think about quitting, twice,  but I didn't.

And somewhere between assessments, deadlines and simply showing up when it would have been easier not to, I learnt the true meaning of what the teacher was trying to tell us.

And looking back now, on the last day of 2025, I fully understand how to eat an elephant.

Going into this year I hadn't studies in 15 years, I was, and still am a single mum. I had one child doing distance education at a high school level, another starting her last year of primary school in a gifted class, and my baby starting year 3.

I thought I had a tiny bit of independence, so online wouldn't be that hard.   

I thought I could continue with this blog, keep making hats and headpieces, continue with social media and fulfil my duties at home of chef, cleaner, chauffeur and all the other titles mums naturally accumulate. 

And for a while, I did okay.

Until May, when I decided that a stepping back from blogging and social media might free up some time. I planned on one month away. That turned into 3 blissful months before I returned.

During that time I did some big things behind the scenes. One of them was my daughters first gymnastics competition. The plan was simple. A 4 hour drive to the competition, stay overnight and come back.

Long story short, we got lost.

I lost my phone signal,  my map app stopped working and someone we met on the dusty dirt road directed us the long way around. On the way home I discovered my car charger wasn't working and my phone eventually died completely.

But along the way we saw some stunning views and some massive mines we didn't know existed. We turned it into an adventure and learned a valuable lesson about always taking a paper map.

I also discovered 2 new forms of procrastination. 

Duolingo,I love you!

I started in May, originally with German (because I want to learn Bavarian), Scottish Gaelic (the closest option to Irish Gaelic and I want to visit Ireland some day) and Romanian, because of Nadia Comaneci, if you were a little gymnast in the 70's or 80's, I don't think that needs further explanation. 

After a few weeks, I let German and Scottish Gaelic fall by the way side because Romanian was much harder, so naturally. or perhaps illogically, I stuck with the hardest one. I should mention that my third knitting project I attempted when I restarted 10 years ago was a pair of socks.

I also started Chess on Duolingo. My uncle and godfather, the same person, taught me when I was young, but I'd forgotten most of it. Then a few months after I started using Duolingo, chess became an option, so naturally I jumped back in.

The hardest part for me is attacking, being non confrontational or not naturally competitive, that's just not in my nature. Making the first move is also challenging. Slowly I'm starting to get used to both. I do believe that chess shows a persons character, or at least it reveals mine.

The other form of procrastination was writing a story.

I didn't feel like watching a movie, two hours felt like tot much of a commitment, and I was procrastinating on an assessment that I was halfway through. So I opened my laptop and started typing something that had been sitting quietly on my mind for a little while.

Several hours later it was 2am, so I packed up for the night. But over the course of the following month that little story grew, and I finished that assessment 2 weeks before it was due.

Time will tell what happens to that little story. But from it more little seeds of ideas grew.

When I returned to social media, I was quickly reminded of why I needed that break. In a 48 hour period I received over 40 inappropriate messages. As an introvert with a deeply emapthic nature, it was overwhelming, too much at once, and the first time  I seriously considered quitting my course. I was done with people.

This became a lesson in discernment and boundaries. Knowing what to take forward, what to leave behind and when to politely say go away.

Since then, my social media presence has been minimal. I am debating what I truly resonate with in terms of sharing online. I'm definitely not against social media, I have a lot of sewing and craft tips saved, but I'm more reluctant to put myself out there.

I also haven't written a blog post since then, as my course and background life got busier. Not in a bad way but in a growth way.

My daughter and I went on two more decent road trips after that first adventure, and I definitely followed the old Girl Guide motto of Be Prepared, something I lived by as a Girl Guide and later as a Girl Guide leader. We travel with food, water, a spare tyre and tools, and most importantly, a map.

Finishing up the year, I admit I cried. When my daughter graduated primary school, when I saw the improvements in my little boy's spelling test and when I realised how well my older daughter reintegrated into school and found her kind of friends after a year of distance education. All happy tears, well mostly, except for the bittersweet realisation that my little girl is growing up. I'm sure I'm not the only mum feeling both excitement and sadness at the same time; I certainly wasn't the only one at the school.

I also feel so much hope and excitement for 2026. What will I do? I don't know yet. I'd like to study more, travel more, and of course I need to fix my car, it;s currently sitting at the mechanics with the horn not working.

But rest assured, in the next few weeks, I will share the fifteen or so millinery pieces I completed this year, while quietly sitting in the background, reflecting and preparing for what comes next.