Man, 2016 was rough, and that's an understatement. There was the controversial presidential election, the crisis in Syria, people's lives being lost to senseless acts of violence. However, I think what people can't--and may never--get over is how many famous celebrities left us in 2016.
The people in my cover photo (and the several others that I forgot to include in the photo) helped us embrace our own individualities and taught us that we should not apologize for being ourselves. I was very sad when Alan Rickman passed away because he was so talented and even though we hated Snape at times, we loved how he was portrayed. Debbie Reynolds was a big blow, just because it was so sudden and it came the day after her daughter's death. That alone broke my heart. Add in the fact that I admired her from a very young age, and that made things a little more sad.
I hate to break it to you, but guys, I don't know if 2017 will be much easier.
Before you begin calling me a Negative Nancy, let me explain how I came to this conclusion. I was talking with my best friend about this. We were reflecting on the death of Debbie Reynolds when I realized that she was 84-years-old when she passed away. Now, I know this article isn't completely about her, but let me point out something. My grandparents were alive when they first saw her in Singin' in the Rain all those many years ago. They're only a few years younger than she is. They then saw me admire her in the Halloweentown series many years later. Two generations later, and she was touching the lives of a new audience. She lived for a little more than three-quarters of a century.
It's just that time. All the people that we, our parents, and our grandparents grew up with watching on television sitcoms and movies, seeing in sports matches, and hearing perform live on the radio are getting older. It's sad to see their health declining as they get older; no one likes to see that. These are people that connected with us and related to us for just that small moment in time. It's like losing a family member or a friend: we never want to see them go. Death is something that we all unfortunately have to deal with; it's inevitable.
If 2016 taught us anything, it's that we absolutely cannot take nothing or nobody for granted. We lose great and talented people every year; however, 2016 was the year that there were multiple "gone too soon" types of deaths. My mother always says, "we are never guaranteed tomorrow". Time is of the essence, and while that may be so, we still have time to appreciate them, just as they appreciate us: their supporters. Let's make the most of the time we have with the people that are still around, the ones who still make us laugh, smile, and just plain happy to wake up every single day.
