Of the 1000s of thoughts I had today, agency is the one thing I keep circling back to. Women’s agency – the lack of it. Growing up, I’ve had very little of it. And I was at peace with it. Because I had believed I would get more with age. Like most things in life.

And no. At 21, I can tell you I was wrong at 12.

More on this later.

In 2024.

In 8 days, the world will be gaga over another year. Resolutions. Memories. Firecrackers. Growth. All that. While I’ve never understood the madness, I must confess; I really enjoy it. Some years I get to stay back home alone while folks are partying. Order some pizza. Write myself a letter (which I almost never read.) Call a friend. Wish them. Have my cake. Eat it too. Go to bed. Others are a fun fiesta with family and cousins.

And then there’s the resolutions. Proud to report I’ve never made any progress – not one year. Last year, I did not have a thing I wanted. No goals. Quite honestly, I was trying to survive a heartbreak and a couple of college setbacks. And then I never went back to reviewing and goal-setting. I basically floated through the year. Thus, this tweet.

And I think I am okay with it. I have learnt to make peace with the past and never repeat mistakes. EVER. I think a lot about how in physics they tell us vectors are magnitude with direction. This year had a lot of scattered magnitude, not much direction. Very mindless. Very unintentional. It was fun as it happened. But nothing I take pride in, sitting in December. I want to change that for 24.

And I am pretty hopeful about it. And determined. I have not been determined in a long time. ‘21 was all into college applications. ‘22 was full of turmoils with no plans. ‘23 was a shabby attempt at greatness. I want ‘24 to be different. I want to go back to being some with grit and curiosity and determination – the only three things that have made me into what I am today. So, I think I am ready to arrive. I am settled back in. {I do hate that I am saying this – settled back in. But being out of college wasn’t always the best feeling. So that.}

While I have a bunch of thoughts – though nothing written down YET – I know what the core idea is. Action for agency.

Oh and you must write down – pen to paper – your goals for the year. Or any goals at all. There’s a higher chance of you getting them. Even more if you put it on front of you. To see everyday. Tried and tested.

Ps: If you can – at all – decode the cover image on this piece, coffee on me.