Happy Holidays

Holidays. Even the word itself is a happy one. It conjures up images of white sandy beaches, over-priced cocktails and air conditioners blasting at maximum. However, given that my first holiday all year is in winter in one of the coldest states in Australia, my holiday’s sadly only consisted of over-priced cocktails. In spite of this, the break I have had as given me not only a renewed energy but also a renewed focus and drive to complete the one remaining semester than is left in my degree.

With my exams over and my stress levels and an all time low, I travelled to Brisbane to visit my family and friends. Seeing all the people I love most in the world was exactly what I needed! After one of the most difficult semesters of my degree and an interstate move to a new and unfamiliar city, I was both mentally and physically drained. The thought of another grueling semester was quite literally the least appealing concept I could think of.

Once I was back in the family home however, all my stress and worry over the next few months seemed to slowly ease. My Mum, who is by far both my biggest fan and source of support, immediately smothered me with words of love, kindness and support. “There’s only one semester left!”, “Look how far you’ve come already”,  “I know your tired but you’ve been through much worse and you can get through these last few months too” and her favorite pick me up “You’re my smart beautiful boy!”. With words like these, it is any wonder that after 10 days with her I left Brisbane, more confident and determined to finish my degree than ever?

Support and love like hers is something I’ve been lucky enough to enjoy my whole life, a fact I have taken for granted for most of my life. It’s both a sad and happy fact that all it took was six months apart and 10 incredible days together to make me realize that fact.

- Matt