Biding farewell, to 2024

By Shivani Singh, BA Psychology Honors

Edited by Nandana

Thank you for leaving me at the door of 2024.

I wonder what would have happened

if I had carried you with me,

if I tried to take all of you into 2025.

Would you mind a re-cap?

January came with its quiet resolutions,

a promise to start again,

but February softened the edges,

reminding me that not everything needs to change.

March felt like shedding—old thoughts,

old fears— as I watched pieces of me fall like leaves.

Yet, in those falling pieces,

April and May brought color and light,

the kind that wakes you up slowly,

while June held me steady,

teaching me that calm can feel like home.

July was laughter, sun-drenched and loud,

but August whispered of endings,

of how even the brightest days fade.

And in the fading light,

I found myself questioning:

Who do I hold accountable—life, or me?

By September, I carried a few losses,

the kind you don’t talk about but always feel.

October wrapped me in golden hues,

a reminder that beauty lives in change,

and accountability is the bridge to growth.

November asked me to slow down,

to sit with the year and all it left behind,

to own my choices, my stumbles, my strides.

And now here is December,

the end of the road and the start of something new.

I acknowledge this is December,

the last stretch of a long journey.

There will be more Decembers to come,

each bringing their own stories, their own weights.

They’ll be similar, but not the same.

If I carried you into 2025,

maybe the new year wouldn’t feel new at all.

You’ll always be a part of me,

woven into the days I’ll carry forward.

And now, 2025 is waiting.

I’m ready to step into it—

not heavier with the blame of yesterday,

but fuller, with the accountability of today