Goodbye Old Self, Hello New Year 2025
How 2024 Shaped the Writer and Dreamer in Me
It’s a new year. The first day of 2025.
Last night, I stayed up late writing Chapter 11 of my novel, The Ceremony of Death. What a way to end the year—it felt like the old self had died from me. I woke up feeling reborn. The hard lessons of the past year have passed, though I know many more will come. Still, I am proud of myself.
Last year was another year of clearing old beliefs. A year of realizing just how much power I gave to others. How much of my life I lived based on someone else’s ideas—society’s, religion’s, anyone’s but my own. It wasn’t easy to see this. My body, however, became my guide. Through subtle communication, it nudged me toward truths I hadn’t yet faced.
This past year, I was like a child rediscovering myself and my emotions. It was not easy when you grow up not being allowed to express what you feel. To cry, to be angry, to feel anything that isn’t “appropriate.” But I did it. Slowly, I let myself feel. And I made it. I really did.
One of the biggest steps I took was admitting the feeling I’ve carried for so long—that I don’t belong in Andorra. It was a hard truth to say out loud, but my husband listened. He heard me, and together we came up with a plan to explore somewhere else. Knowing that my needs are seen and supported has brought me so much relief.
I also unblocked my creativity this year. I can feel it now, flowing freely in ways I didn’t know were possible. I still have expectations, and sometimes I fail to meet them. But it doesn’t take long for me to return to creating. I’ve learned that the process—the joy and love I pour into my work—is the most rewarding part. The outcome? It matters, but not as much as the act of creating itself.
This year, I am more than ready to show myself to the world. My first novel is on its way. Good Girls Cry, Bad Girls Moan will be the open gateway for readers to get to know me. It feels like the perfect beginning for this new chapter of my life, and I am so excited to share it.
I trust myself. I trust the process. I trust the path ahead, even if I don’t always know the way.
Here’s to a year of courage, creativity, and becoming.
Thank you
To everyone who has been a part of this journey, thank you for your patience, your kindness, and your encouragement. To those who will read my stories, thank you for trusting me with your time and attention. You remind me why I write, why I create, and why I choose to share pieces of myself.
Here’s to a new year and to all of us finding our way forward.
With love,
Lalita Janette