Buttoned Up, Blessed, and Not Looking Back

December comes in like a woman who knows—
knows when to leave the party,
knows when the music has said all it can say,
knows when it’s time to fix her collar
and reclaim her power in silence.

These final days?
I button myself up.
Not out of fear—
out of reverence.
Out of knowing my strength deserves containment,
not explanation.

I regain myself deliberately.
Muscle by muscle.
Boundary by boundary.
Prayer by prayer that doesn’t beg,
but declares.

This year—
whew.
This year tried to audition for a documentary,
a thesis,
and a warning label all at once.
It asked questions it had no business asking,
tested my patience, my beauty sleep,
and my faith in humanity.
But look at me—
still standing, still laughing,
still fine as truth in good lighting.

I say my final goodbyes cleanly now.
No monologues.
No soft landings.
No “just checking in” energy.
I don’t drag endings into the new year—
I escort them out with class
and lock the door behind them.

I am trimming the fat—
habits, histories, conversations
that had too many calories
and no nourishment.
If it doesn’t feed my spirit,
tone my soul,
or fortify my future,
it’s off the plate.

And no,
I’m not looking back.
I already know what I survived.
I don’t need to reread the chapter
to prove I learned the lesson.

What do I see now?
A woman glowing with earned confidence.
Healthy—not just in body,
but in discernment.
Gorgeous—not because I tried harder,
But because I rested more deeply.
Poised—not because I was untouched,
but because I was refined by fire.

December watches me with a smirk,
like it knows what I know:
I didn’t lose this year—
I completed it.

So I celebrate the new me
before the calendar even changes.
I toast to resilience with sass,
to growth with lipstick on,
to healing that didn’t ask permission
and strength that showed up in heels and humility.

I step toward the new year
tailored, unbothered,
and spiritually fit.
Buttoned up where it matters.
Wide open where it counts.

Goodbye to what I outgrew.
Goodbye to what underestimated me.
Goodbye to anything that thought
I would carry it another season.

Hello to the woman who remains—
clear-eyed, well-fed in spirit,
beautifully unburdened,
and fully aware:

I look good.
I feel better.
And I am just getting started–

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