[yjftsjthsd-h]

> I have no understanding why last time was so painful, and this time it's been so amazing.

It has been my experience that if I try to learn something hard and give up and then come back to it a few months later, I have a way easier time even with no apparent changes in process. I suspect some of it is giving your brain time to process fundamentals or something.

[sanderjd]

This seems true and unsurprising - it strikes me as being similar (or identical) to spaced repetition, which is a powerful learning technique.