Taylor Swift has been a huge part of my life ever since I was a little girl. In fact, I attended the first show of her outstanding Eras Tour with my childhood best friend who's a big fan like me. 1989 has been one of my favorite albums ever since it came out all the way back in 2014. I was only eight years old and didn't truly understand the diversity of emotions Swift was able to portray in a single album. It became an album I've constantly reverted back to for any emotion I had.The songs I would have to choose that describes my year would have to be Shake It Off and New Romantics. Shake It Off has always had a soft spot in my heart. This song taught me the meaning of ignoring those who try to tear us down. That there is always going to be someone who is going to hate or bully us for what we love or enjoy. The best way to get back and to stand up against them is to, quite simply, shake it off. The past year has been a bit of a tumultuous one for me. My mental health has become more important in the past year and realizing that sometimes I am my own worst enemy/hater. Listening to this song has definitely reminded me that sometimes you have to be the one to shake off what your head is telling you and prove yourself wrong. I fell behind in my classes and even though my head was telling me I was never going to get caught up, I continued to push and work to the point I did. It's still as shocking as it is to me now but I remember listening to this song once again and feeling everything that helped me get through it. It also reminds me of my parents and the teacher who only ever continue to support me in getting back on track and helping me along. New Romantics is another song that has only ever helped me grow. When the COVID pandemic hit in 2020, my trajectory changed much like everyone else's. Instead of going to an in-person high school like I had always planned, I ended up in a fully online school that I will soon be graduating from. Being fully online has its challenges especially in terms of experiencing typical teenage experiences. One of those experiences being dating. It stung a little watching my best friend along with all of her friends get to experience the feeling of falling in love and being able to date while all I had was Zoom rooms filled with people I'd never meet or see since no one turns on their cameras. Yet, listening to this song, I always remember the lyric "We are too busy dancing to get knocked off our feet." I always like to think now that while others my age are dating, breaking up, and who knows what, I'm too busy dancing to even give into it. I'm doing what I need to do to succeed and that's okay. One day I might find someone worth dancing with to get swept off my feet. These two songs will always have a special place in my heart and in my playlists. They remind me to push through the hard times and that it's okay to dance when you want. Taylor Swift will always be one of my favorite artists and I couldn't be happier with the stories and relatable feelings she portrays. This will always be my all-time favorite album.