This year was heavy
in ways I didn’t see coming—
uncertainty settled in,
stretched itself across my days,
and turned even the smallest decisions
into quiet battles.

There were mornings I woke up
already tired,
already questioning,
already wondering if what I was hoping for
was worth the hope at all.

I moved through my days
with a heart that was trying—
trying to stay open,
trying to stay grounded,
trying to stay hopeful,
trying to stay faithful
to the version of me that refused to give up.

But even inside the heaviness,
there were wins—
small ones, big ones,
soft ones, surprising ones—
moments of clarity,
goals quietly ticked,
laughter I didn’t expect,
strength I didn’t know I still had.

And somehow, despite it all,
I made it to the edge of another ending—
a little bruised,
a little tired,
but still standing.

Good bye, 2025.

Mariam Shittu