The Risk of Reinvention

Reflecting on 2024 and looking forward to next year.

Like many, I have a lot to unpack while I digest 2024 and think about 2025. The year was filled with the joy of spending time with family and the ability to travel, chaos of living through home renovations, deep sadness of losing friends and life not looking exactly like I thought it would, and intense relief when certain chapters (i.e. the job I was 100% burned out from) came to an end. Through the ups and downs, my list of blessings is miles long, and I’m continuously grateful for this life.

Dreamy view from a dreamy trip to Nice with my parents earlier this year.

When I look back, this year - more than any other year - has made me realize that we only have so much time to be alive and we should spend it doing things we love with people we cherish. Sounds easy, right? But what if doing things we love means leaping from the comfort we’ve built? Leaving the good-paying job for something unknown is scary. Chasing dreams is riskier than sitting on the sidelines. I wish it wasn’t true, but I’m an expert at staying too long in situations that are no longer serving me…relationships, jobs - you name it.

I’m at a point now where I’m craving reinvention - especially from a career standpoint. I’d love to veer from the path I’ve been on for so long to pursue other passions. So, as I think of what I want in 2025, taking more risks to chase those dreams is not only a good idea, it’s required. I’m yearning for change and deeper meaning in how I spend my days.

Luckily, I’m not starting from scratch. I have wanted to start writing more for as long as I can remember, but I never felt comfortable putting my more personal writing into the world. This year, I tried a local writing group and joined

Joy Sullivan

’s writing group, Sustenance, to help me rip the bandaid. I lurked behind the scenes for much of the year, but I felt so much exhilaration and freedom once I started participating. Dedicating time to connect with others who are refining their craft has been a breath of fresh air.

As part of our Risky Poems exercise, we were prompted to write about something we’d never written about before. We were told not to worry about being poetic and simply to say the thing that wants to be said. In the spirit of more risk taking, I’m sharing this one here. Posting raw poems on the internet?! Who have I become?

Death and Friendship

Losing two of my closest friends in the same year feels like a cruel joke.
A bitter reminder not to get too comfortable in this life.
Is it even real?
This life? These deaths?
The hours I’ve cried could have been gathered up to do good in the world, 
but they weren’t. 
Why? Why them? Why me? 
Unanswered questions sneak up on me. Jab me.
There are certain sights that will haunt me forever:
Watching one be lowered into the ground,
Watching the other smile from my phone screen as I scroll mindlessly.
Does it cut deeper to lose the one who can’t call back 
or the one who could?

Take the Leap

For 2025, I’m challenging myself to take the leap. To do the scary thing. To stop worrying about what anyone else thinks of my path (easier said than done). I invite you to join me. Let me know in the comments what risks you want to take next year to align your life with your dreams.

Quick PSA: If you’re interested in Sustenance, get on the waitlist. Spots open on January 9th. (Not an ad - Just sharing because I love it!)