An Open Letter To 2016 | The Odyssey Online
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An Open Letter To 2016

I have a few requests before we begin.

Sam Wolfe
Dec 29, 2015
George Mason University
15
An Open Letter To 2016
Tim RT/Flickr Creative Commons

I have been waiting for you for a long time. It felt like an eternity stood between myself and college back in January; and now here I am, already back home with the first semester under my belt. Some days, I thought your arrival would never come. At times, I almost wished you wouldn't. But it's time to start fresh, and I'm ready for you to begin.

You should probably know that I don't believe in New Year's resolutions. Instead, I choose one word to define the year and set expectations for what I want to get out of it. This year, my word was "grow." I set a goal to grow as a person, a son, and a friend. 2016, my word for you is "hope." Not only do I wish to find some in the months ahead, but I also have a few requests before we begin.

I hope that you treat me well, but that you also don't go too easy on me. Even though it was more painful in the moment, I learned far more from my failures than I did from my successes.

I hope that you teach me to forgive, but that you will also give me opportunities to withhold a second chance. I have discovered that sometimes it does more damage to hold on than it does to let go.

I hope that you help me find peace when it comes to change. I've never been a huge fan of change, but I'm starting to realize that it is an inevitable part of this crazy game called Life, and it would serve me well to start accepting that now.

I hope that you show me which friendships truly matter, and the ones it might be time to let go of.

I hope that you teach me to believe in myself, because if I don't, then who will? (I may have stolen this one from Marilyn Monroe.)

Finally, I hope you will show me that old ways won't open new doors. But moreover, I hope you teach me how to fight. I hope you help me realize that some things in life are worth fighting for, and that I learn to never give up no matter how hopeless it seems. I also hope that you will show me it's OK to not be OK. I have spent far too long pretending to be happy when I was dying on the inside. 2015 showed me that you can never get the help you truly need until you open up and face your demons head-on. 2016, I hope that you give me the strength to do exactly that. I hope that you will give that strength to the people I care about too.

Looking back, I have grown quite a bit over the past 365 days. I still have a long way to go, but 2016 is a great place to start. Let's get started, shall we?

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