New Year, Elevated Me 🥂

2024 is finally over and I’m not sure how to feel about it, which is a lie because I feel many things about it, hence this annual blog post.

2024 was a year that started off pretty chaotic, yet I held on to the optimism that I could turn it around right after I nursed that God-awful hangover. I don’t know what it is about getting older, but I can’t do alcohol like I used to in my early twenties, and it takes entirely TOO long to recover these days. During January 2024 and the rest of the year, I learned that the journey of overcoming obstacles and learning how to master yourself is never-ending and that growth will ebb and flow.

To err is human; to forgive, divine.

I leaned into this quote from Alexander Pope all year 👆🏾

Like any normal human being, I made plenty of mistakes in ‘24 that left me scratching my head when the dust settled. A lot of my choices just didn’t make sense but they felt … right at the time? (Idk, I’m still unpacking some.) One thing I can say about me, though, is that whatever mistakes or poor choices I make, I will learn from them. I will forgive myself every time (and begrudgingly, others too. Without reconciliation.) However, I’m pretty sure I’m leaving the negative side of #doingitfortheplot in 2024. I’m tired 🤣

It goes without saying the first half of my 2024 had hands, but in comparison to how I felt and what I experienced in 2023, this past year was light work. Praise Jesus! I wanted to be off God’s Strongest Soldier List but instead, He made me a part-time employee.

Progress is still progress.

The first six months felt like I was waiting to exhale, and the second half is where I learned how to breathe again.

Let’s unpack that a bit. 👆🏾

Kia, what do you mean you learned how to breathe again? You was holding your breath the whole time?

Yes.

But no.

But yes.

I was on autopilot. We live in a society that glorifies the ability to just keep pressing forward, no matter what has happened to us.

We are rarely encouraged to sit with our feelings, examine our hearts and minds, stay grateful, or even properly rest.

The answer to everything is to get money, get a warm body to use for sex and other dopamine hits, acquire material success by any means, and then wake up to do the shit all over again until we die.

So yeah, I was on autopilot, waiting for the other shoe to drop constantly, (and it did) while secretly wondering to my therapist when I was gonna get a break.

Sure, I looked good, had a good time, and enjoyed life and all that jazz, buttttttt, I experienced things that kept me up for many nights in my apartment, wondering when my release was going to come. It felt like I was holding my breath underwater, but the gag is — I can’t even swim in the first place. 🫠

But thank God for reprieve. For an olive branch. For release. For the ability to breathe again.

I am not someone who strives for perfection, but I do strive for peace & harmony in my life. I don’t care about what material success I achieve, having peace of mind and satisfaction in my choices takes precedence over all that.

If 2023 was the year that stripped everything from me (it felt like it) then 2024 was the year that I gained more than I imagined and for that, I am truly grateful!

2024 was a trust the process year.

From getting laid off to moving out of Chicago, I was stretched in ways that I never saw coming, and didn’t always welcome, but I adapted and prevailed nonetheless.

And that’s what life is all about, isn’t it?

To adapt to life’s challenges and prevail anyway. I didn’t and still don’t have a lot of answers to a LOT of things. And maybe, just maybe, that’s ok?

My last six months of 2024 gave me so much to celebrate and so much to look forward to in 2025. And even though I still don’t have all the answers (and likely never will) I am grateful that I’m able to breathe, stay present, stay grateful, and approach life with an elevated fearlessness.

May we all elevate beyond our wildest dreams. 🥂