Dear 2016,

We had some good times, we had some bad times and as usual we had times pass without note. But there seems to be a common thread for many people with their experiences with 2016.

What we lost outweighed what we gained.

From celebrity deaths, to political circus acts to personal experience, 2016 will go down in the history books for many as one of the weirdest, wildest and worst years in documented history.

Sincerely,

the human race.

Every year we reflect on our losses and our gains.I recently saw a quote that stated "Use the memories, good and bad, as stepping stones to help carry you through the next year."

At first you think, "why would I want to carry the bad memories into the new year?"

You carry the bad ones into the new year so you don't make the same mistakes you did in the year past. If you suffer loss, you try not to take advantage of the time you have with the ones who mean the most to you. Whether you lose touch with friends or a death of a loved one, you always wonder what you would be doing if you had more time with them. We all know we put our best foot forward in this for about a week and then we go back to being consumed by our hectic lives. Thats just how life goes.

If you suffer heartbreak, you learn not to fall for the same kind of person you did before. You learn, that giving someone your time and attention is actually an honor to them, not an honor for you to have a fraction of their attention. Forgive yourself for making the mistake of thinking they were different and treating them like they were different and just remember if you want different results, change parts of the experiment.

All the good things, carry with you and use them to help recognize a new good thing when it comes along. Maybe we'll all get out of 2017 alive and better than we started.

2017 Resolutions

1) Be fearless

2) Read/Write more

3) Laugh more

4) Spend time with people you like.

5) Stop doubting yourself.