It's already started, December is early and yet it's already started. The constant complaints about how the year 2016 sucked, or how people are over and done with the year 2016. The constant “I hope 2017 will be better” or “2017 will be my year.” Every year this happens where people find ways to complain, and refuse to see or find the good within the current year.

This idea of next year will be better is the sense of the grass is greener on the other side; is it really greener? I understand that there are situations that people find themselves in where the year was just the worst of their lives, but this has turned into a trend. To always look and hope for next and disregard the current that they are living in.

It is sad really; it’s sad because it is a trend, it is sad because people prefer to live in the future instead of the present. People have fallen for this lie that is being fed to them: the grass is always greener over there so look ahead for that. Sometimes it isn’t always greener; sometimes you just need to stop, grab a hose and water the grass you are stand on.

People get so caught up in this trend that when you stop and ask them why they are ready for the year to be over with, the average response that I have gotten is “I am not sure, just am done with this year though.” Or the other popular response was “I love to party on New Year’s Eve” I found these common responses sad, because the majority of these people I asked were all thirty or younger. People within my generation are too busy looking ahead looking at their phones or glued to the computer, that these people struggle holding a normal conversation with a person.

When you stop them and take them out of this world full of trends and what is in right now, they struggle to talk. They struggle to talk about deep and meaningful things within life. I have heard the complaint “You don’t know my life”. My answer is always “Alright so tell me” and then they refuse to, because they don’t know how to or they fail at conversations like that because it makes them feel uncomfortable. Sometimes people will say they would rather text and or email it to me instead of talking, how has talking become such a lost art?

Once we stop the trends, stop the complaining and finally stop the “Next year will be better”, and instead be happy and grateful for where we are in life. Instead of complaining about the year, why not search and list all the good things that happened. Even if they are minor things they are still good. Instead of always being plugged into our phones and computers why not take a walk and have a conversation with someone. It doesn’t even have to be a deep conversation just simply talk with your voice and not text with your fingers.

The year 2016 has brought good. Whether it was big or small: there were laughs that happened, smiles that couldn’t be stopped and hugs that were shared.