As 2015 drew to a close and 2016 began, I took time to do some reflecting. I rarely find myself reflecting on such a large period of time, an entire year, but that is exactly what I did.
I realized that 2015 was eventful and tumultuous; filled with plenty of ups and downs. I learned a lot in 2015, enough to think about myself at this time last year and have the ability to say that I'm a changed person, in more ways than one. I usually don't set goals or New Year's Resolutions for myself, but at the beginning of 2015 I decided I wanted to loose weight. A year later, I can happily say I've lost over 15 pounds. I changed physically, mentally, and socially. I met people in 2015 that would soon become the closest people in my life. I became closer to my best friends, met some new best friends, went to many, many concerts, and made some utterly fantastic memories.
As good as 2015 was, it had it's rough times as well. Stress from school and work seemed to overpower my life at times. I tend to overthink and worry more than the average human being, and 2015 consisted of a lot of that. But, all the overthinking and worrying taught me this; uncertainty isn't a bad thing. You're not always going to know what will happen next in life, and that can be a beautiful thing. If we could see our lives planned out until the day we died, that would actually be pretty boring. Spontaneous, spur-of-the-moment events and decisions can bring some of the best memories and people into your life. The future is unprecedented, which is daunting and terrifying at times, but also exciting.
As 2016 is beginning, I have some hopeful expectations for this year. I hope 2016 is similar to 2015 in some ways. But I know this year holds plenty more adventures and new experiences for me than ever before. The potential of the future is endless, and maybe sometimes we need the ending of a year and the beginning of another to realize that. I'm still the same person I was a couple of days ago, in 2015. But as a new year rolls around, it occurs to me that the future is rapidly approaching; I'm turning 20 this year, I leave for Disney World in 3 weeks, I'm almost half way through college, and I can make this year into exactly what I want and need. And that is what I'm going to do.
