I was speaking to my mother recently and she told me how frustrated she was about her kitchen. It made sense, the house was old (built in the 60s with some outrageous 70s details too), and though it was severely outdated, it was also quite dysfunctional. The small kitchen was a constant sore spot, with only a few shallow cupboards to contain all the things she needed for her cooking.

Like any ‘can-do’ daughter, I took her concerns and considered what we could do to change that. We couldn’t yet spend the multiple tens of thousands to get the entire thing redone, so I asked her how much she wanted to spend and then we got to work.

Now, you may be wondering what on earth this story is about, but stay with me! I promise this will be good.

The two main concerns were as follows: there wasn’t enough storage space, and the current space was old and tired.

So, to resolve the storage space issue, I thought about what cupboards we could afford and reasonably put together ourselves. I had an old Ikea bookshelf (this isn’t sponsored, I just really like Ikea!) that I thought would fit perfectly in the space and would allow her the freedom to customise shelf levels and fit what she needed. We ordered two of them to sit side-by-side and turned to the other side of the kitchen.

There was a small bench on which she liked to place her coffee machine, so I found some floating shelves that could be put in above it. These would hold her mugs and coffee-making items. The final cupboard was removed to open up the space more, and now she is able to think about what she wants to put there – admittedly she’s still deciding, but the freedom has certainly opened up more opportunities for creativity!

So this was all sorted in a weekend discussion, and we set aside the following two weekends for demolition – to remove the old cupboards, and renovation – inserting the new ones!

It was all very exciting, and I can safely say that it all looks amazing and is exactly what she needed! However, there were some issues we faced, that if I’m honest, made the experience that much more worth it because they taught some excellent lessons.

Firstly, it taught us both that we are far more capable than we might have first thought. Renovating a kitchen is a huge task that we weren’t feeling ready for just yet. However, this process of creating a vision, planning it out, sticking to the process, and bringing it to life was incredibly rewarding. I was satisfied to see my ideas in action, and to help my mother, while she was excited (and relieved) to finally have a kitchen that was much more suited to her needs.

Of course, the road bumps and issues we faced taught us a lot too. You’ve probably heard all the lessons before, about braving the storm, staying strong in the face of adversity and to keep pushing through, but it’s tough to live out sometimes.

While putting up the shelves, we discovered that the measurements we’d used were off by less than a centimetre – talk about annoying. As a result, we had to remove a very stubborn part of the skirting board to make room, and calling it stubborn is generous. For some reason it was glued, nailed, and attached in every single way possible to the wall and floor, and it took us a long time to get it out, but we did! Our power tool batteries died, one of our saws broke, and we certainly tore off most of the paint around it (I never said I was a professional!) but we got there.

What strikes me most about this escapade is how at the time, nothing stopped us from trying to get it out. Even as I reflect, there was not a single moment wherein either of us considered giving up. We simply tried the next thing and the next thing until it all came apart. That ‘solutions-focused’ mindset is something I sometimes forget to take when faced with a problem, but I see now the very physical results.

After those all went up (thankfully much easier now!), it was time to assemble the floating cupboard over the coffee-machine bench. We were not supplied any screws for the assembly, which was annoying, so we hurried off to the hardware store to stock up. Then, while drilling the hole to insert the screw into, the drill-bit broke! Talk about a series of unfortunate events!

Annoyed and exhausted enough for one day, we let the shelf go and promised to sort it out the next day. Well, when the next day came, no one really wanted to give it another go. I was scared the second drill-bit would break as well, while my mother was now concerned the shelf would not sit right. When I tell you that we were mere seconds from giving up, I am not exaggerating.

However, I had promised to redo this kitchen, so off we went to try again. And it worked! I’m not sure if it was our desperate prayers or just that we finally picked the right spot to drill, but the three holes went in easily, and the shelf went up in moments. By the time we were finished, our coffee’s hadn’t even cooled.

It was a little surprising, and a good reminder not to give up when things get tough. Sometimes, your solution is only a few moments away. With the work complete we tidied up and got to admire our new handiwork, and it was wonderful to see all that we had achieved in barely three weekends.

My mother’s kitchen looks entirely different, and with a few coats of paint it will look brand new. Truthfully though, we only added three items. That was the final lesson that I was able to learn from this experience: small changes can make a world of difference.

We hear this all the time in self-improvement discussions, but it isn’t until we truly see it that we can always understand. The kitchen has an entirely new feel, and is much easier to navigate now, with only a few tweaks. My mother is much happier with it, and while it still isn’t perfect, we’ve tidied it up and made it more functional. Of course, I’ve also been able to show her love and care by dedicating this time to help her, which I’m sure any parent would be grateful for.

These little life experiences can teach us so much if we are willing to look and listen. I am interested to know if you have any such experiences? If not, perhaps you might take this as a sign to be a little more curious in your life, and to notice these things much more.