As 2017 comes to an end in the next few weeks, I did some reflecting on what I've learned this year. Most of these things, I really already knew but this year made them feel all too real.

1. Heartbreak

Heartbreak is real and it comes in so many different waves. At first, you're devastated. You're going to feel alone but after some time, you'll start to realize you're going to be okay. You'll cry a little less and laugh a little more. Before you know it, you've let go and you're happy again. What 2017 taught me was that it's perfectly normal for heartbreak to destroy you. It's okay to sit in the shower and cry it out 4 nights a week, sometimes 3 times a day. I also learned that there is heartbreak in everything you love; relationships, friendships, the death of a loved one, every little thing.

2. Love

Love is intense in every way. I've learned that love cannot be forced, no matter how much you say, do, and love someone. That it's okay to love someone else and not be loved in return. I've learned there's a significant difference in love and being in love. I also learned how it felt to be loved. I learned what it meant to truly invest yourself into someone and allow someone to love you.

3. Relationships

Relationships are one of the most important parts of living. The experience of dating can teach you a lot about yourself and others. You learn what you like and dislike, what characteristics you want and don't want in a spouse. They also teach you how to grow as a spouse and a person. But just like love, they cannot be forced. Any relationship that's forced is a recipe for disaster.

4. Friendships

Friendships are just as important, if not more. However, friends will come and go a lot more often. There are some friendships that will last a lifetime and some that aren't meant to be. In every good friendship, you bump heads and that's okay. All good friendships can teach you and help you grow to become a better person.

5. Effort

Effort is truly the key to everything, big and small. You will never have a successful relationship, friendship, or career if you don't put in effort. But I've learned that it's possible and way too easy to put in too much effort. As important as it is to put in effort, it's important to remain mentally and physically stable. It's important to know your boundaries and just how much you can handle.

6. Life

Life is something more than what we all imagine. It’s filled with opportunities, happiness, bad days and good, delicious food, and our loved ones. Every day is a new chance to grow and become a better person than you were the day before. But this year I learned that everyone around us is struggling with something whether we know it or not. Some things are more severe than others but we all still have a story. You can know someone for 10 years and still never know that they’re struggling with an illness. You can stand right next to someone, crack and joke and make them laugh and still never know that their mother passed away the day before. We use the phrase “of a lifetime” expecting it to refer that a lifetime is a long time but in all reality, it goes by so quick. Each second is a chance to make someone’s day, be a better friend, or make a difference. We all have some small bumps in the road and some huge mountains to climb. It's important to be nice and treat everyone you meet with respect.

7. Death

Death has had the biggest impact on my life, especially this year when we lost my brother. The passing of him taught me most of what I’ve mentioned and more. But it mostly taught me that you never know when the last time you’re going to see someone is so make the best of every moment. I learned that 7 days, 7 weeks, even 7 months later, you will still find yourself crying, trying to figure out what you could’ve done to keep them here a little bit longer. You’re going to spend countless days trying to figure out how to fill the hole in each of your family members' hearts to no avail. But what losing someone also taught me the was that it's going to be okay, not today, not tomorrow, and not 3 weeks from now but one day everything will be okay. It's okay to live the best life you can even though you lost someone.

Every day is a new opportunity to learn something new whether its a simple fact or life changing. Every day is also a new opportunity to teach someone around you something new. It's important to recognize that every single one of us are our own person. We all struggle, cope, love, work, and progress differently. We can share the same religious or political views as the next person but that doesn't mean we aren't special in our own way. Call your loved ones and remind them that you love them whether you're distant or not. You truly never know when the last time you'll see someone is. Make your last conversation count.