TEXARKANA MAGAZINE
1. Stop waiting for permission. Just go. When one of my friends casually told me she cries at least once a day, something in me rewired. It wasn’t because she cries. Humans cry. It was because she said it without shame, as if her feelings were allowed to take up space. It sounds weird, but until that moment, I don’t think I realized that much emotion was allowed. It felt like I had been waiting my entire life for someone to hand me emotional permission slips. Permission to try. Permission to fail. Permission to want big things. Permission to be disappointed. Permission to change. And honestly, I spent years acting like good things were for everyone else. I guess I thought I needed the keys to the kingdom before I could even step foot on the porch. So this year, I felt. I went. I did things scared. I tried things messy. I acted before I felt ready, which is the only reason anything happened at all. Sometimes I soared, and sometimes I landed flat on my face. But both outcomes taught me things and pushed me forward. 2. Structure isn’t a prison. It is freedom. I have always identified with Miley Cyrus when she told the world in 2010 that she “can’t be tamed.” A couple of years ago, the idea of commitment, routine, or anything resembling a schedule made me feel like I was being caged. But this year it finally hit me that discipline is not a cage but the key to the cage. I used to put things off for weeks because the idea of doing them felt suffocating. Then suddenly I would be buried under a pile of tasks I avoided, wondering why life felt chaotic. Spoiler alert, it was chaotic because I was chaotic. 3. Boundaries are necessary. For years, I thought boundaries meant disconnection. I convinced myself that saying no to a request meant rejecting the person who asked instead of simply protecting myself from a behavior or expectation that was draining me. But this year taught me boundaries are not walls. They are filters. Embracing boundaries helps me show up with a full cup instead of pouring from an empty one and wondering why I feel resentful afterward. I am learning I cannot be everything to everyone at all times. I cannot say yes to every lunch, every task, every event, every favor, every text, and every emotional check-in. I am one human being with one nervous system, and as much as I wish I could do it all, I simply cannot. My life has expanded. My circle has grown. And that is beautiful, but the only way I get to be the best version of myself in those spaces is by making time for myself first. Boundaries do not keep people out. They keep me sane enough to love people well and show up fully. 4. Consistency breeds results. Showing up consistently is better than showing up perfectly. Perfection keeps you frozen. Consistency builds your life. Every time I showed up this year—on days I did not want to write, or did not want to film, or did not want to plan, or did not
GOOD EVENING TXK COLUMN BY BAILEY GRAVITT
Five Things 2025 Taught Me Tony Bennett once said, “Life really teaches you how to live it, if you live long enough.” I know I’m young, but I believe life has already taught me enough that I could write a memoir. This year alone felt like earning a full degree in Adulting 101. Something in the last 12 months flipped a switch in me, and I became obsessed with growth. I’ve been hungry for it. I have wanted to learn everything I possibly could, even when it was uncomfortable—maybe even especially when it was uncomfortable. But what I’ve noticed about growth is that every time you stretch, something has to first break down in order for it to be rebuilt. And I did a lot of stretching this year. In the spirit of learning out loud, here are the five biggest lessons 2025 taught me.
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