Sometimes you have those years in your life that seem minuscule. Where you check the calendar and wonder, where did the year go? Or wow I did nothing this year.

When I was younger I measured my years on bucket list items- if I went on vacation, how many concerts I attended, how many times I traveled, went to a cool place, did something adventurous. But 2016 taught me that I don't need to measure my years on all my "bucket list items," that, yes, adventure is a great part of life, but what's more important in a year are the milestones. Not simply the experiences that can be bought, but the experiences that you learn from.

In 2016 I graduated high school, went to college, traveled for the first time on a cruise, turned 18, and learned so much about myself. As much as I wanted to, I didn't go to lots of concerts, I didn't swim with dolphins, I didn't accomplish all my dreams- and that's 100% normal. I learned that you can do a lot without doing a whole lot. 2016 was a year of milestones, and a year of learning experiences. I learned lots from my first semester- I learned about friendship, failure, mistakes, education, myself and (kind of) what I want. Those learning experiences aren't quantifiable.

I used to count out all the cool things I did in one year to determine if the year was a success. Been to 3 concerts? It's a good year. Traveled to 2 different places? Success. But there's so much more than that.

I learned...

That change is okay. That each day I might be in a different mood and that moods are only transient states. That it'll be okay tomorrow, even if it's not today. That people leave, people come, people stay.

If you want something, running away from it or waiting for it will only lead you to nothing. Go after what you want- it's the easiest thing to say, the hardest thing to live by.

Don't waste time on people/things that you just can't handle. Don't waste your energy- you have a choice on what you do with your life. Remember that.

Not everyone's going to like you. And you won't like everyone. You just have to find the people you're willing to like.

You don't have to know every detail about the future. You're not a psychic and you can't anticipate what will happen tomorrow or the next day. Live in the moment. Enjoy the now.

Bye 2016

and thank you for teaching me what a meaningful year looks like.

And hello to 2017.

I hope to take every opportunity it throws at me.

I hope to take more chances, spend more time on things that matter, become more organized, face my fears and insecurities, and so much more. And if I do something crazy and outrageous then so be it. But I'm not going to measure this year on my number of experiences but rather on the quality of them. Every year is a milestone. Every year is a fresh start. Frankly, every day can be a fresh start. I hope to do lots of things but I'm sure not everything I aspire to reach or be will happen in a year length's time. New years resolutions/bucket list items are never entirely realistic. It's all about baby steps. This year I might not travel the world, swim with a dolphin, or go to every concert of my favorite artist. But I might travel out of the country or across the country, swim in the ocean, or go to one concert. And I'd totally fine with all of that or none of that.

Cheers to a new year.