End-of-Year Reflection: Surviving and Sparkling

Every December, I feel like I’m standing at the edge of the year, looking back at the mess, the miracles, and the middle-of-the-night moments that got me here.

This year didn’t come wrapped in a bow. It came with curveballs, cancellations, and challenges that made me question if I could keep showing up. But here I am, still standing, still sassy, still sparkling. ✨

Being a self-advocate isn’t about having it all together. It’s about walking into rooms that weren’t designed for you and refusing to shrink. It’s speaking up when your voice shakes, or in my case, making sure my AAC device isn’t on its death bed so I can remind the world that my story matters. It’s learning when to fight, when to rest, when to cry if you need to, and when to laugh at the chaos instead of letting it steal your shine.

This year taught me grit in new ways.

And it gave me a glow up I didn’t see coming. See, growing up is about age, it’s birthdays, milestones, the stuff you can measure. But a glow up? That’s internal. It’s the kind of transformation that happens when life knocks you down and you decide to rise brighter anyway. It’s spiritual, emotional, and a little bit sassy. My glow up wasn’t about new hair or outfits (though you know I had those too). It was about confidence, boundaries, peace, and finally realizing that not every storm means I’m breaking, sometimes it just means I’m shining through the rain.

And trust me, this glow up came with plot twists. I got dumped, my iPad died days before major events, and for a minute there, it felt like the universe itself was just messing with me for sport. But honestly? It was wild and surprisingly amazing. Every disaster had a blessing hiding behind it. Every meltdown turned into a moment. Every heartbreak came with better boundaries and funnier stories. Because when everything falls apart at once, you either crumble or you get creative. I chose mascara, iced coffee, and a comeback.

Like a girl sliding into home while another calls her safe, I’ve learned that independence doesn’t mean doing everything alone, it means knowing who your people are and leaning on them without apology.

Advocacy isn’t always a microphone and a crowd. Sometimes it’s the quiet, daily push against low expectations, the side-eye sass when someone underestimates you, the private celebration when you prove them wrong.

And oh, the gratitude. I’m grateful for the caregivers, friends, and advocates who showed up when life got too heavy to carry alone. I’m grateful for every opportunity to share my story, even when it cost me energy I didn’t think I had. I’m grateful for the failures too, because they reminded me I’m still human, still learning, still growing.

But don’t get it twisted, I’m not ending this year polished and perfect. I’m ending it with messy notes in my planner, half-burned candles on my desk, and a spirit that’s tired but still full of fire. Because surviving is one thing, but surviving with sparkle? That’s a whole other level.

So here’s to the lessons, the scars, the late-night tears, and the belly laughs that made it all bearable. Here’s to walking into a new year not just surviving, but sparkling brighter than ever. Because the world doesn’t need perfect, it needs real, it needs grit, and it needs a little sass with its faith and fire.

And that’s exactly what I plan to bring.

✨ Still standing. Still sassy. Still sparkling. ✨

#SurvivingAndSparkling #EndOfYearReflection #SelfAdvocacyStrong #SassyFrassWithClass