COLUMN: Secrets From a Girl Who's Seen it all Before: From Prada to Purpose
“As I stood on the unwelcoming tile floor of the courthouse, my favorite Prada sunglasses in a plastic tub and a metal detector raging about the metal aglets on my hoodie’s drawstrings, I couldn’t help but wonder if stepping into something (or someone) new was always going to be so difficult” (Makayla Wrigley).
January 2, 2025
Makayla Wrigley, Editor
As I stood on the unwelcoming tile floor of the courthouse, my favorite Prada sunglasses in a plastic tub and a metal detector raging about the metal aglets on my hoodie’s drawstrings, I couldn’t help but wonder if stepping into something (or someone) new was always going to be so difficult.
Whether it’s a new year, new relationship, new car, new job or even a foreign chapter of life, it seems like every time we have a fresh start it demands that we strip away some part of ourselves– sometimes literally, like my poor sunglasses. We’re not asked to, but told to, lay down our amour, expose our quirks and walk forward with nothing but vulnerability and hope that things will play out the way we want them to.
In that moment, standing there staring at my prada, I realized how much starting anew can feel like navigating an airport security line: awkward, frustrating, and wildly inefficient. We find ourselves sorting through the contents of our pockets, fumbling to decide what we should carry and what we should leave behind. Old habits, toxic relationships (even the ones we have with ourselves), outdated beliefs and out-of-style accessories get ditched in the proverbial gray tub, never to be seen again. But isn’t that the point of new beginnings? To tighten up, lighten our load and move freely.
As the clock ticks closer to 2025, I’m starting to see the value in those uncomfortable moments. They force us to pause, reflect and ask the hard questions: What am I holding onto that no longer serves me? What am I ready to let go of, even if it stings?
For me, one of those questions brought me to this courthouse. I was there to change my last name—a name I’d carried since birth but no longer wanted to call my own. For years, I’d held onto it out of habit, inertia and maybe even the fact that I didn’t want to wait at the DMV for a new license. But as the new year approached, I realized it was time to let it go.
It was an act of reclaiming my identity, of choosing who I wanted to be moving forward. It was a declaration to the universe that I am not defined by the choices of others, but by my own.
Standing in that courthouse, I felt the weight of what I was leaving behind—and the freedom of what I was stepping into. The discomfort, the second-guessing, the vulnerability of being in that moment—all of it was worth it. Because on the other side was a new beginning, one that felt wholly mine.
As we step into 2025, I encourage you to think about the parts of your story you might be ready to rewrite. Maybe it’s not a name. Maybe it’s a habit, a relationship, or a belief that no longer feels true to who you are. Whatever it is, remember this: letting go isn’t about erasing the past. It’s about making space for the future, even if you have to set down your Prada for a few minutes. Sometimes, stepping into something new requires us to stand on cold tile floors and let go of what we thought we’d always carry. But it’s in those moments of discomfort that we discover the beauty of starting fresh.
