If you spend anytime on the Internet, you know that everyone is saying “2016 was the worst year ever” for a flurry of political and social reasons. But for me, and I think for a bunch of other people, 2016 wasn’t so bad at all.

Sure 2016 sucked at some times, but to appreciate the ups you need to have the downs. For me 2016 was fantastic. I graduated high school, got in fantastic shape, had an awesome summer, and a great first semester of college. I checked of items on my bucket list, like doing a Spartan Race, and learned a new sport. I’ve found new shows to watch (Last Chance U, Galavant, New Girl) and have expanded my music taste.

This being said 2016 wasn’t just great for me, it has been an amazing year for everyone. Let's start with sports. In 2016 Peyton Manning got to retire in a blaze of glory, Lebron had one of the most amazing finals performances ever ( that block will define his career), and most importantly THE CUBS BROKE THEIR DROUGHT. Pop culture has suffered due to the loss of so many dear celebrities, but a lot of awesome pop culture related things happened this year. Captain America: Civil War , Deadpool, Zootopia, and many other great movies came out. Plus Hamilton set a record with 11 Tonys, Leo won an Oscar, and 2016 was a great year for memes. 2016 also saw the creation of artificial retinas, advances in prosthetics, and other advances in medicine. Also 2016 saw the lowest rate of world hunger in the last 25 years, and Mynanmar elected a popularly elected official for the first time in 50 years.

I guess what I’m really saying is this: before you write 2016 off as a terrible year, think about how great it really was.