I have tried – and failed – many times as an adult to learn new skills. There was the creative writing classes in my 30s taught by novelist Kate Grenville. After our first assignment, I was so ashamed of my lack of ability, I dropped out. The same was true for learning to draw, lifesaving, sailing, embroidery, various languages – French, Italian, Indonesian, among them – pasta making and skiing.

I beat myself up but I do have an excuse. You see, learning new skills and absorbing new knowledge as an adult is vastly different from how children grasp and retain new concepts. It’s not that we are dumber – no matter how much it feels that way – but our brains are wired differently and geared for different purposes.