100 things I’m grateful for (2024 edition)

there could always be more!

Hello Tamia Talkers, lovers, and friends! It’s so good to write you on this final day of 2024.

Exactly one year ago, I apprehensively posted my first ever Tamia Talks entry on Substack and anxiously shared the link on Instagram and in text messages to friends. At the time, I felt relatively unsure of what my take on this platform would look like and grappled with my festering insecurities about dropping my thoughts and ideas onto the internet (without an editor!).

However, I found a fulfilling sense of creative release in being able to write, podcast, and experiment every week. It was empowering to be vulnerable and open about my likes, interests and experiences and such a gift to know that some of you resonated with those thoughts and feelings.

For the past couple of weeks, I’ve been in holiday vacation mode, taking some time away from “the stack” to go to the Bahamas with my family, finishing my end-of-year projects for work, and ~manifesting~ and preparing for the new year. I’ve made some vision boards and to-do lists, booked a few flights, and jotted down a handful of creative ideas to jumpstart my January.

Even with all of that done, I didn’t want to walk away from this year without sharing expressing my gratitude for YOU, all of my lovely subscribers, who read my essays, rewinds, recountings of the year. You’ve made me feel seen, supported, understood through it all.

To end the year, I’m concluding with one of my favorite things of all time, a list. This one includes 100 things that I found deep appreciation and gratitude for this year. I hope you can take some time to do the same.

For now, that’s all I have to share. I very much have a December Rewind nearly ready for posting, but I watched “A Complete Unknown” on Sunday and read two books between Monday and today, so I need to copy paste my thoughts from the notes app.

I hope that 2025 is a year full of peace and prosperity for all of you. Thank you for being such a fun part of my year <3

100 things I’m grateful for (in no particular order)

1. renee rapp’s lip liner combo in this insta dump

2. the color green

3. spontaneous trips

4. the filter that transforms dogs into charlie brown characters

5. clairo

6. the bottle of lubriderm at work that keeps my hands moisturized

7. when sabrina carpenter does pretty much anything

8. respectfully, all the men in the sex lives of college girls

9. theatre adults (who were once kids)

10. art festivals

11. mitch wood (of theatre video-making fame and other projects)

12. workplace comedies

13. the feeling you get when you can close a book after reading the last page

14. figure skaters and their passion and verve

15. getting up early and taking on the day

16. staying up late but doing something productive yet peaceful

17. journalists <3

18. london on a sunny day

    

    London in May!

19. sleepover with your besties

20. facetimes with the girls

21. learning something new about someone you’ve known for a long time

22. knowing the lyrics to something you haven’t heard in years and singing the words at the loudest volume you can manage

23. wisconsin

24. fall car rides and long strolls through the park

25. ginger shots

26. alessia cara

27. a good pair of earmuffs

28. that lovely guy on tiktok that does covers in the style of patti lupone

29. live theatre

30. pop girls, especially the short ones

31. chicago

32. a good kale salad, preferably caesar, with a thick and crunchy parmesan crisp (aka sweetgreen kale caeser)

33. las culturistas and the silly podcasts that keep me sane

34. closing down the restaurant with your bestie

35. when someone tells you that they like your crochet scarf, hat, bag and you can say “thank you, I made it!”

36. art that makes you feel

37. the boy is mine featuring brandy and monica

38. existing in close proximity to a body of water

39. throwing a party and people show up, iconic

40. the way the duolingo bird turns into a rising phoenix whenever you hit a streak milestone (604 days, but who’s counting!)

41. when i had a party to celebrate my duolingo streak and my friends dressed in all denim to commemorate the accomplishment

    

42. when you encounter someone who speaks a different language than you, but your subpar multilingual ability allows you to communicate

43. my mom (AH! she should be first)

44. my dad (king, what else can I say)

45. giannis antetokounmpo

46. dua lipa’s song “maria” because I can send it to my friend maria when I miss her

47. pants that are so wide-legged that the fabric hardly scratches the surface of your skin

48. when you’ve had the worst possible week of your life and you’re spiraling and crashing out and then your period comes and you’re like “omg, i’m good”

49. a good, durable, comfortable boot

50. a good, durable, comfortable tennis shoe

51. dentists!

52. positive celebrity encounters

53. a day on a big, stunning, gorgeous lake (I’m looking at you Lake Michigan!)

54. when you revisit old goss with your friends and new lore emerges

    

    Besties containing new lore.

55. captivating YA novels

56. rachel zegler’s beautiful voice and being!

57. my dog (should’ve been higher, hello?! number one diva)

58. great orators

59. cowboy carter (but, more importantly, renaissance)

60. spa days

61. the barista at goddess and the baker on wacker drive who picked my wicked book up off the table while I was eating and made inquisitive faces at me before saying “is it good?! should I read it? I’ve never seen the musical but, I’m excited for the movie” because, yes, to all that.

    

    Moments before said book snatching.

62. unexpected compliments (kind of feels like a sneak attack for the soul)

63. that time I fell asleep at yoga class (so funny and I really needed that, I guess!)

64. sparkling water with a lemon

65. my amateur dance pursuits

66. brat (definitely should’ve been higher)

67. taking a dance class

68. berry smoothie (almost) every day

69. new orleans

70. ceramics class and painting your own mug

71. fuzzy socks and a day in bed

72. pine candles

73. experiencing two political conventions in one summer

    

    My friend Sarah and I before covering the Democratic National Convention

74. seeing the vice president of the united states more times than I saw some members of my extended family (kind of sad, but kind of cool?)

75. GloRilla and the masterpiece that is “WHATCHU KNO ABOUT ME”

76. seeing MUNA, SZA, Chappell Roan, Reneé Rapp and Faye Webster all in one summer

77. my succulent that lived through the year

78. the guitar shaped margarita glasses at Summerfest

    

    Bestie Bridget with the aforementioned guitar glass

79. stonehenge lore

80. collaging and a gold sticker collection

81. family reunions!

82. wicked, of course

    

    Wicked things <3

83. chai lattes and espresso martinis

84. watching my friends fall in love and get married

85. arcade games and pop-a-shot basketball

86. tate mcrae and people who can dance

87. a big bowl of popcorn

88. eliminating self doubt

89. finishing a journal (or four) and dumping out your deepest feelings

90. the right to vote

91. gold stars

92. learning any and all Kendrick Lamar lyrics and more importantly existing in the same time frame as Kendrick Lamar

93. not being a hater all the time and being diligent about embracing love

94. my midwest princess trucker hat

    

    me three pages into ACOTAR, preparing for shenanigans

95. doechii renaissance

96. good pasta

    

    Somewhere in New York

97. seeing stevie wonder twice in one year

98. a big, warm, fuzzy thing to wear around the house

99. quality time with my loved ones

100. creating this substack!

See you all in the new year <3