Dear 2016,

As you come to an end, just like any other year, I sit here and reflect thinking about all the good and bad times you've brought me. You were a year of memes, terrorist attacks, celebrity deaths, and the start of a Trump presidency. On the news we seen The Orlando shooting, the country be divided by race and religion, a Syrian Civil War, too many suicide bombings, and creepy clowns. To be honest 2016, you were all over the place.

I hate to be negative and talk about all the things that brought us to tears and anger in 2016 but to appreciate the good we must reflect on the bad. In pop culture, you took away Prince, Muhammad Ali, Carrie Fisher, and so many more; you gave us Drake and Rihanna (which was great)--but then took that relationship away pretty quick--a Kanye West mental breakdown, and, the worst, you gave us Donald Trump as President. The events in the world weren't the only things that troubled us, somewhere out there someone lost a parent this year, someone ended their own life, someone lost their battle to cancer, someone got bullied, someone lost a friend, someone lost their job, someone lost a family member, someone got their heart broken. It's a big world, and not only were there things happening in the news, but also in our own personal lives. So, for some, 2016 you weren't a great year, to say the least.

For others 2016 you were the year someone made a new friend, got married, became sober, had a child, was adopted, beat cancer, got a job promotion, won the lottery, traveled the world, met their hero, graduated college, or fell in love. You also gave us new music, Beyonce's Lemonade, The Cub's finally won the the World series, West Africa is ebola-free, new binge-worthy shows on Netflix, hilarious Twitter memes, and Leo's first Oscar. Just like every other year, it was a year of possibilities, and 2016 you possibly were someone's best year yet.

For me 2016 you were up and down. It was the year my dad got sick, the year I saw racism in my own college town, the year I actually cried over the presidential election because I was terrified, the first full year without my grandma, and the year I made mistakes. It was also the year my football team, The Denver Broncos, won the Super Bowl, the year I grew as a person, my first full year apart of a sisterhood, the year I went to Lollapalooza, and the year I learned to put myself first.

It's been a year 2016, and honestly, I'm not sure how I feel about you. There are some that want you gone and some that appreciate you, but either way, goodbye 2016. I'm not sure if you'll be missed or forgotten, but here is to you: the most up and down year of my life.

Sincerely,

A person ready for 2017