Last year, I started the journey of being a remote product designer. The thought of a ________ schedule, a comfortable home office, and the escape from the crowded public transport was incredibly ________. The first few weeks were filled with a long-lost feeling of ________.

However, the ________ of working from home gradually set in. I had started my day with the best intentions, promising myself quick breaks and regular ________. But deadlines, endless emails, and virtual meetings ________ me to my computer throughout the day, leaving me little time to ________. Gone were the short walks to a colleague’s desk and the quick lunchtime walks around the office complex. Finally, my world was ________ to the walls of my home, my steps ________ in mere meters rather than kilometers.

One day, I tried ________ one of my favorite dresses and it wasn’t passing through my waist at all. Glancing at myself in the mirror, I saw a ________ person carrying extra weight, rather than someone enjoying freedom. The ________ of work and personal life had left me feeling like I was a never ending motion machine.

This incident marked the ________ of a journey of self-discovery. I made up my mind that I needed a(n) ________ not just for my waistline but for my overall well-being. It was a promise to prioritize my physical and mental health, and a commitment that I could ________ control over my life and my body.

The day before Mother’s Day, Mrs Berry asked her students to make a card for their mothers. She handed out paper and pieces of cloth.

Elizabeth looked for a while at the blue cloth and began to cut it. Then she __________ her paper in half and began writing. When Elizabeth finally looked at the message the teacher gave on the paper, she noticed something else. She felt her __________ grow hot-she hadn’t heard that anyone who didn’t have a mother could make one for a grandmother or an aunt.

As her teacher walked to her, Elizabeth tried __________her card with her arm, but Mrs Berry gently __________it so that she could read it. Elizabeth sat __________, waiting for her to say something, but she saw a __________ roll down Mrs Berry’s face. She had never made Mrs Berry so upset.

When school was over, Elizabeth __________ until all the other kids left so that she could__________. “I’m sorry for not listening. I’ll make another card __________you want. I’ll do it __________ and bring it tomorrow.”

“__________are you talking about?” asked Mrs Berry.

“My Mother’s Day card. I know you’re upset because I didn’t do it__________.”

“Elizabeth, that was the __________ card in the whole class. It was so __________that it made me cry.”

Elizabeth was so __________ that she ran out of the classroom.

When her father came home from work that night, Elizabeth __________ to give him the card early.

On the front of the card was a __________ of Elizabeth’s father, with a blue piece of cloth cut like his hair. Inside the card she had written:

Dear Dad,

I know you work really hard to be both a __________ and a father. I want to thank you and __________ you a Happy Mother’s Day!

Love,

Elizabeth

When her dad read the card he started __________, just like Mrs Berry did.