Hi everyone, by the time you read this I’ll be sweltering in the tropical heat of Sri Lanka! As I write this over the last week of November, my thoughts began jumping from giving you a run-down of how my year fared and the internal discussion I found myself having most days as I contemplated the new direction my life is headed. I hope you can excuse the scramble of words that ended up on this final post of the year.
I’m glad you decided to check further. I’m now happy to tell you all that I have now completed my Copyediting course and can add another qualification to my CV. Balancing my coursework with the duties that come with being my mother’s daughter has been a bit of an experience over this year. I didn’t realise how much I enjoyed studying again until I was halfway into this! Learning all these new skills and everything about the publishing industry was eye-opening and completely blew me away most days.
I still managed to continue with the Shared Reading group at the library and it kept me in touch with the old work gang. I managed to entice a few new people into the group and seeing them every month gave me lovely feelings right for weeks afterwards. I felt fulfilled by this work as I connected with some amazing like-minded people through some great literary works. And now, I’m glad that the library has a great little group of people enjoying the Shared Reading sessions!
Funnily though, as I met with other Reader Leaders, an interesting opportunity came my way. One such colleague asked me to help edit a manuscript of theirs to which I agreed. You could say I ended up using the skills I was learning on my course in this project with my very first client (of sorts!!). While I was doing this and my studies, I found myself strangely motivated to continue down this path and see if I can help people in creating written works that shine brightly after being polished up a bit! You could say that it drove me to try my hardest, even with my tutor’s encouraging feedback and family’s unwavering support over this year.
This second year without dad feels slightly better. To honour his passing, we had a religious event and my sister surprised us by visiting with her whole family to participate in it with us. My mother was so delighted to have the whole family and it made her feel a lot better. I think that as we move on with our lives and create our own pathways, we honour everything he did for us. For me, as I forge a new chapter in my life, it feels really scary at times. But as I bravely put one step in front, ticked off one task, and completed another assignment I felt him silently applauding my efforts. I know it sounds corny, but for me, I feel dad’s presence in those small quiet moments.
This year’s blog posts have been a bit on the low side and not as varied. I promise I will make up for it in 2026. I’ve tried to broaden my reading but it’s been somewhat tricky with my schedule and I’m hoping the year to come will prove a little less stressful. I say that with crossed fingers as I’m unsure what the future holds. Balancing my studies with the manuscript work over the last few months really tested my time management skills. Despite this I found inspiration through social media and started following some interesting ‘bookish people’ who have given me ideas for this blog. I’m hoping to have more time to pursue my own writing and have plans on doing something serious about it in 2026.
When it comes to returning to a working schedule, I’m currently looking at a few options. Working as a freelance copyeditor/proofreader is one and there are a few other ideas I’m actively looking into. It’s a bit daunting to think of, but it feels right for me. With each decision I took over the course of this last year, it felt as though dad was gently encouraging and approving of each one. I’m glad I took this break over the Christmas weeks so I can face the new year with a clear mindset and positive outlook.
I hope everyone has a happy festive season ahead with your family!
Stay safe and keep reading
Miss Mahee
Miss Mahee's Library of Reads 