Well, 2017 is over. In most ways, I’m relieved to see it go, in others I can’t believe it has only been one year. Many things characterized 2017 for me this year but the best characterization I would say is “fight”. 2017, was a battle, and I’m not just thinking in political terms here. After graduating college and having friends who’ve moved thousands of miles away there is a fight to restructure and continue friendships without the convenience of proximity. Trying to navigate the working world and looking for jobs that won’t just make money but create a career is a fight. Remembering to carve out personal time in a world that demands constant attention or at least is full of constant distractions is a fight. And of course, the current battle in Washington, which feels like a battle for the moral fiber of our country is a fight. The amazing thing, and the thing I learned most this year, is no single one of these is inherently more important than the other.
Although it felt like there were many many losses that occurred this year, there will always be slivers of light. 2017 will always be the year I graduated college an accomplishment that I worked hard on and is the culmination of years of schooling. Ending with an exclamation as I was able to graduate with both University honors and departmental distinction. Moreover, I credit myself for being more well rounded during 2017 coming off two very tough years. Though still far from perfect I did a better job at taking some time for myself to continue to do the things I love. Lastly, I took time to truly think about what I want in my life. I’ve always thought of myself as a goal driven person, I love reflecting on where I’ve been in order to make adjustments to where I’m going, and that continued. However, I pushed myself to think about goals for the various relationships in my life – trying to identify people who truly add value, positivity, and keep me grounded. It’s easy, for me at least, to identify what I want in life… it’s much harder to identify what I don’t want or what I don’t think will help me get there. These small slivers of hope, these wins I want to celebrate and continue building up going into 2018.
I’m not going to say that I have high hopes for 2018, because truthfully I don’t. I don’t believe it would be reasonable to say that when midnight hits what happened in 2017 won’t matter, because it will. But I do think that there is something special about New Years giving people permission to start over. As much as I would like too I can’t change what happened in 2017, from its highest highs to its lowest lows, it was what it was. But when midnight does hit, if you need it — like I do — there is a perfect opportunity to begin to let it go and start moving forward.
I’m hoping to build new good habits, continue to invest in myself and those who are good influences are my life, and keep fighting for everything I want in 2018. I hope that there are more accomplishments, wins, milestones, and great memories ahead of me knowing that there is bound to be some losses and tough times in there as well. I hope 2018, is the year I get closer to what I’m looking for and I wish you all the same.
…but that’s the magic of New Year’s. When that clock strikes midnight, we all get a fresh start. — How I Met Your Mother
