As a parent to a toddler, I am in the rush hour of life, where satisfying his whims occupy my every moment after work. It’s exasperating. Coupled with the fact that I have to organise a Spelling Bee and give a Formative Assessment workshop next week, I find it hard to juggle my myriad responsibilities and retain control of my life.

I didn’t think that I would have the bandwidth to join the Tally Ho writing contest, but when I was working on my script for the Formative Assessment workshop, I joined its Discord channel and snuck in a quick question about security. Little did I expect to receive a thorough and thoughtful response later. It galvanised me to give the competition a shot.

So, this morning, I woke up at 5.30, which was half an hour than usual, so that I would go through my daily routine faster. I even found ten minutes to sit down in front of the TV set and watch “Love Wagon” while I was brainstorming points for my Tally Ho entry.

Then, I stepped out of the house, typing furiously away as I made my way to my breakfast place. It would take me about 35 minutes to commute from my breakfast place to my workplace, so I was in a state of flow. Conjuring up insights, doing research, framing why I was attracted to the Tally Ho wallet - all this was done by the time I reached school.

Yes, I clicked “Publish” the moment I stepped into my school. As the saying goes, “When there’s a will, there’s a way.” I never thought I would sacrifice my precious sleep, but I guess the sense of belonging I derived from taking part in the competition was motivation enough to disregard my fatigue. Life’s tough; I’m a tougher cookie. Life, with its curveballs and complications, still won’t take away my passion for writing! 

Of course, I am hoping to win $10 worth of ETH through this contest, but in the event that I lose, I have already gained an immeasurable dose of self-empowerment. Which may be priceless.

Thank you for reading!