Dear 2015,

What a year you’ve been. We’ve had our ups and downs, that’s for sure, and we’ve definitely seen some of the best and worst times. Needless to say, you’ve made your mark. The memories with friends, the late nights, the bad days, and the days I thought would never end -- you’ve been there for them all. You’ve been more than just the pictures that Facebook puts in the review of my year. You’ve been the end of my freshman year of college, my second collegiate soccer season, my first spring term at Washington and Lee, and so much more. I’ve learned that I can overcome pretty much any adversity, even calculus. I made my fair share of mistakes over the months, but you kept chugging, so I kept chugging, and chose to learn from them instead of dwelling on them. If we’re being honest, I think you might have taught me more about myself than anything, or anyone, else has throughout the years, so congratulations.

You’ve taught me that one mistake does not define a person (including myself).

You’ve taught me that people will come and go, but the ones that actually care will make an effort to stay in your life.

You’ve taught me that, at the end of the day, everything will be okay, even if there are times when it feels like the world is ending.

You’ve taught me to forgive -- others and myself.

You’ve taught me to find happiness in the little things; there are some of them in every single day.

You’ve taught me to let the things that are out of my control go.

You’ve taught me not to stress the little things; it’s simply not worth it.

And, lastly, you’ve taught me to work hard for the things that I value most.

You hammered these lessons home, and sometimes I hated you for it, because these lessons usually included some aspect that was extremely not fun. At all. More times than not, though, I was grateful for your teachings. I think oftentimes people become obsessed over what the next year holds, always focusing on the future, but it’s important to remember the past. You have made us who we are all today, so I think we should pay you the respect you deserve. Sure, toast the New Year and make some New Year’s resolutions (I’m going to stop eating junk food… lol psych), but don’t forget to celebrate the days gone that have carried with them sadness, joy, lessons, humor, and so much more. These will remind us what’s actually important, and actually worth spending time on.

So now, I’m another year older and another year wiser, thanks to you. As they say in We’re the Millers, “No Ragrets.” Cheers to you, 2015 -- gone but never forgotten.

Sincerely,

A grateful, almost-20 year old

P.S. 2016 -- let’s do this. New year, new me? Who knows, we’ll just have to see.