As 2016 begins, it is easy to forget all of the amazing experiences 2015 had to offer.
To most people, the new year means making a change in their life. However, when we get lost in the process of changing ourselves, we forget the amazing journey we have been on to make it to 2016 in the first place. That is not to say I do not look forward to what 2016 will bring. I'm starting my second semester of college, and have much in store for me in the next year. I am truly excited to go on new adventures, meet new people, and experience all that 2016 has to offer.
However, as much as the new year is for making that change, it should also be used as a time to reflect on the past year. I know 2015 might not have been so great for everyone, but somewhere along the way something had to have happened that made you stop and think for a minute how lucky you were to be alive. Now that I've said that, I guess I have to share mine.
On June 19th, I graduated high school. I finally got to walk across that 10 foot platform, shake the superintendent's hand, and receive my diploma. On top of this, I was lucky enough to be honored in front of my whole class as a class scholar. As cliche as it sounds, this is the moment when I finally realized I could do anything. I had made it through four years of (almost) literal torture, and I came out on top. Now, I was ready to take on anything, and that made me happier than I had been in a while.
The thing is, that is not the only moment that made my 2015; there are hundreds of incredible things that happened to me along the way. I'd like to say that I could find a defining moment of the past year in each of it's 365 days, but that is just too much to remember. So now, I challenge you to remember that big moment, but remember the little ones too.
I will never forget spending a week in Disney with my high school band and some of my best friends or going to California with my family, but I also can't imagine 2015 without making a kid's day at the summer camp I work at. You see, the real events that made my 2015 were the small daily occurrences like playing my last game, performing in my last concert, late nights by the fire, Christmas celebrations, hiking in the Berkshires, eating Easy Mac in my dorm room, and watching "Jurassic Park" for the first time with my new friends at college. I could continue this list for an eternity, but that would just get old. However, you get the point.
So this new year, look forward to the future and all that 2016 will bring to you. Let go of the awful things that happened in 2015, but do not forget all of the incredible experiences that you had along the way. After all, you probably wouldn't be headed into the new year without them.
