Dear 2017,
2016 had its ups and downs, but it definitely seemed to bottom out at the end. We lost a lot of good people. The world seemed full of tragedy and violence around every corner. People spent months losing their minds over the death of a gorilla. So now, 2017, we turn our hopes and dreams over to you.
Just please don't be a train wreck.
As amazing as it would be, we don't expect you to be perfect. You'll have a fair amount of challenges, difficult decisions and heartbreaking moments. So while wanting everything to go smoothly for 365 days might be unrealistic, there are a few things that we hope aren't:
We hope that for every challenge we face that we grow stronger.
We look for the promise of a fresh start that the new year brings.
We aspire to strengthen our current relationships and build new ones along the way.
We pray that with each loss, we will find comfort.
We motivate ourselves towards positive changes and intend to persevere through unexpected negative ones.
We eagerly anticipate the breakthroughs and discoveries you will herald.
We dream of a year where more conflicts are solved than created and people with different viewpoints find ways to work together for the greater good.
We aim to take greater steps in preserving the Earth for the years to come.
We eagerly await the exciting experiences and moments encapsulated in your days. We have no idea what all is in store for us, which is both exciting and terrifying at the same time.
We hope that we will have the strength, confidence and understanding to make you better than 2016, and leave you in even higher spirits than when you began. At least let's hope that there aren't as many people excited for you to be over as there were for 2016.
Sincerely,
A 2016 Survivor