Today, I thought back to what my life looked like a year ago and, quite unexpectedly, it made me sad. Maybe it's all of the New Year's resolutions making their way around. But, a huge wave of nostalgia hit me as I realized how different everything is now, than it was then. All of these small, insignificant moments that I have lived and felt have come together to make up my right now.
I can still feel the butterflies in my stomach. My friends beating around me in the tiny side room of my favorite bar. The music shaking the ground under my feet. My heart breaking. That moment when I got that one thing I really really wanted. All of these minuscule moments have so drastically changed what I do, who I am, and whose company I keep. And, looking back on it, I'm glad.
Sure, it wasn't always perfect. The last year has been everything -- good and bad, and up and down. People let you down, but people will also surprise you. It wasn't always easy, but I did it. You did it.
I didn't realize it as it was happening, but it was all of the small moments that made the difference in every single irreplaceable day. It wasn't the test I failed, the boys that were mean to me, or the girl who didn't want to be my friend that impacted my life. It was all of the small, minor moments that seemed, well, small and minor.
When I look back on the past year I see myself dancing around my room, and kicking off my heels after a long night out with friends. I see myself hugging my best friend while she cried. And her running to my apartment when I was doing the same thing. I see myself listening to music with my roommates as we do our hair and makeup. And laughing over chips and drinks. I see myself running across campus in the rain, and I see myself watching endless episodes of "Friends" over and over again. And never getting tired of it. I see myself jumping up and down at midnight because I got the position that I wanted more than anything. I see myself screaming Adele's "Hello" at the top of my lungs as we drove down the highway, and that time we listened to every Taylor Swift song ever made. I see myself dancing like a lunatic every time a Justin Bieber song comes on when I'm out in public, and I see the unforgettable, hysterical laughing fits with my friends.
I see all of these wonderful, beautiful moments. And, I thought they were the little things. The unimportant, forgettable things. But, really, they were the big things.
As I enter this new year, I hope that I enjoy all of those minor moments a little more while they're happening, and try to let go of the unimportant, irrelevant dramas that seem so big. And I hope you do, too.
