They say how you ring in the New Year is telltale of how your year will go. I don’t know if that’s true. Consistently, my New Years are more of a wrap up. Not to mention all the partying isn’t a real signifier of the year to come, but rather a way to celebrate all that’s been.

And now, here I am, hungover, exhausted, and slightly afraid to look at all 26 text messages on my phone. So why do we do this? Why do we rage, do dumb stuff, text dumb things, pour our hearts out in the bathroom, wake up the next morning and think, “oh crap”?

Because it’s part of being human. It helps us develop compassion and forgiveness. It’s life. Specifically, the life of a twenty-something.

I firmly believe that I’ve developed some wonderful friendships from those bathroom heart-to-hearts – no matter how fuzzy the conversation is the next day. I also think that it’s because of my stupidest, drunken decisions that I no longer care or judge when my loved ones make mistakes of their own – sober or intoxicated. Doesn’t matter. We all do our best the only way we know how.

And as the coffee kicks in, Breaking Bad plays on, and my hangover slowly subsides, I feel happy. Happy that I celebrated the end of 2014 in style with some amazing people. I’m so happy to be 24, making mistakes, still learning, working hard, living free and wild.

So cheers to the end of 2014 and to the beginning of 2015. Here’s to whatever adventures are coming our way. I’m so blessed to be entering into 2015 with a career that I love, goals to chase down, an amazing apartment with two great roomies, and a plethora of wonderfuls in my life.

Also I need shorter, less pretty friends.