In the summer of 2024, my favorite artist, Gracie Abrams, released her second studio album, The Secret of Us, later followed by a deluxe edition of the album. Upon the initial release, I loved all the tracks, but the sixth track on the album, “Let It Happen,” stood out to me. I had all the words memorized almost immediately, and connected with each and every one so deeply. I also saw Abrams live twice in 2024 and once in 2025. With every listen, this song proves to be incredibly cathartic and real, whether live in a 3,000-person capacity venue, live at Red Rocks, or live from the driver’s seat of my car.
Abrams writes notoriously deep and introspective lyrics, and I hardly have any skips on her discography. While “Let It Happen” is not my favorite song by her, I found myself coming back to this track again and again, through the latter half of 2024, and now, throughout all of 2025. The song has many interpretations; it can be seen as a song about a lover, “Just for you, I let it happen,” or a messy crash-out anthem, “While I’m in my underwear, eating through my feelings, I’m still reeling, but it’s fine,” but the way I’ve connected to it, it’s truly “Whatever happens, I’m letting it,” the line Abrams repeats over and over in the end of the song.
When making New Year’s resolutions, I’ve been one to make incredibly concrete goals such as maintaining a high GPA, reading every day, or making sure I eat a vegetable every day, but upon reflection on January’s prior with these goals, I never truly held consistent to any of them. So, for 2025, I decided to focus on taking life as it comes to me, and understanding that I am a culmination of all that happens to me, the good, the bad, and the ugly. So, my goal for the new year, inspired by Abrams’ song, became “whatever happens, I’m letting it.”
I stepped into the year with an open mind; however, it is absolutely easier said than done. I struggled with the idea of “letting it happen.” I’m notoriously a control freak, so learning to let go was a large lesson in my “let it happen” 2025. In consideration of my mantra, I decided to take a step back, attempting to see from an external perspective if what I spent my time draining over was really worth it in the long run. With an extra second in taking the time to analyze my stressors, I was able to release so many of them, only absorbing the things that truly needed my time.
“Whatever happens, I’m letting it,” also, for me, entailed a conceptualization of the idea that maybe, everything happens for a reason. I don’t entirely stand by this often-passed-around statement, as it’s easily used to minimize the experiences of many, and that is entirely unacceptable. However, this statement partially aligns with the idea that the things that are necessary to personal growth will stay in your life to make an impact, but the things that aren’t will pass.
Lastly, and most importantly in retrospect on my year, “whatever happens, I’m letting it” meant inviting the good things to become a part of my life just as much as I was accepting the more difficult things. In maintaining this mentality throughout my year, though a bit delusional, helped me to look for the good in my days, and when I found it, I would continue to seek it out, welcoming it in. My personal growth manifested itself in that I spent more of my year looking for the good than I had before, and it made me excited about the possibilities to come, rather than anticipating stress about the small things that, in the long run, held little to no importance.
“Whatever happens, I’m letting it” created a new mentality in me in 2025. I welcomed the things that excited me, and allowed it to encourage me to branch out, seeking goals, and pursuing the things that made me feel confident, empowered, and loved. On the other hand, I spent less time giving energy to the things that drained me. It was a give and a take in the best way; the less attention I paid to the stressors in my life, the more I was able to give to the positives. To put it another way, this year was a wake-up call to tell me that we live on a floating rock, so why should I let the non-importants become invasive?
So, though 2025 comes to a close, I don’t want to leave my mentality behind, but rather keep it at the forefront of my mind as the unpredictable new year approaches. So, as Abrams might say, “whatever happens, I’m letting it!”