So, this year, somehow going out... hitting the bars, drinking and getting rowdy on New Year's Eve doesn't seem appropriate. It wasn't how I wanted to spend the transition from 2016-17. I knew this year is to be a transformative year – and yet, I was almost surprised at myself for not wanting to do something big and outrageous... but then I realized why it's important for this year to be different.

I didn't care to kiss anyone at midnight.

I had done the whole "kiss a stranger at midnight" thing before and it left me with feeling nothing. I wasn't proud of myself, or disappointed... it just didn't matter. This year however, I realize this might be my last year spending New Year's at home with my mom, whom I'm very close to. The memory of staying home and watching "Parks and Rec" with my mom while surrounded by our dogs, seemed more important than ringing in the New Year with some old friends and strangers at a party. Making a memory with my mom and beloved puppies was exactly how I wanted to start the New Year - investing in the people I love the most.

Resolutions mean more this year.

Do I still hope to lose weight? Well, duh. Do I hope to be more organized? Of course. But, alongside the classics, I've included other resolutions like- keeping my apartment organized so it makes moving out in May as painless as possible, graduating (fingers crossed), finding a job (more fingers crossed) and saving more money. Possibly because these changes are more imminent, they're finally coming to the forefront of my mind... which hopefully will make me stick to them more than a typical resolution.

I'm slightly terrified of having no idea what will happen after graduation.

Wait, what? I don't get summers anymore? I have to get a job now? Where will that job be? I have no clue! Will I make enough to not end up living in my mom's basement? Again, I have no clue! *laughing so I don't cry at this point* So, petty things that used to feel important, don't feel so important anymore...

I know who my real friends are.

They're the one's I want to keep in touch with after graduation. Does this mean I'm not going to be friendly, and be willing to meet new friends? No. What I'm saying is that I realize how what I need in a friend is changing... and therefore, I'll be more selective in letting those kinds of people get close to me. Those buddies you go drinking with are great, but they might not be the ones you need when confronting your first real-world problems. And that is OK. You're transitioning. So are they. That is life.

So, if you know a senior that seems a little out of their element, forgive them. They're probably stuck in their head trying to figure out their future. Just be there and be supportive, and I guarantee you'll receive a happier friend in return.

Peace and love y'all.