2024 was probably one of my best years yet. It’s easy to pick out some major events—turning 21, joining Jason’s lab, spending a summer in Austin, and getting hired for my first job out of college. By most objective measures, I’m also a lot smarter and healthier than I was a year ago too.

But, when I’m laying in my death bed, what I’ll miss most is remembering all the moments in-between—time spent with friends and family, new places I saw, impactful things I read. It makes me sad that, in time, those memories will slowly retreat into the dark recesses of my long-term memory, but I take solace in knowing that those miscellaneous ups and downs each played an infinitesimal role in making me more me than I was a year ago.