As a mother of a young Sydney Swans player, I have followed this season with more than passing interest. I was at the Sydney Cricket Ground for the Swans' qualifying final against the Brisbane Lions, and what I watched there has stayed with me. The Swans went into that game without several key players. Then they lost their captain in the first quarter. Across the ground were the Lions, the reigning premiers and the clear favourites, and the expectation was that the Swans woul

The end of the year can often feel chaotic and disorienting. We need to be more flexible around some our routines; we need to hold space for others as well as ourselves, and the urge to be everything to everyone can feel all-consuming.

That first thing that flashed into your mind before logic kicked in - what was it? See, intrinsically we do know what we want, but we condition ourselves to override our wants and desires in the name of something else. That something else could be logic, practicality, the needs of others, or even societal conditioning.