As the past year comes to an end and a new year begins to start, this tends to be a time of reflection. We think about the past year and all the people in our lives that have made it so great (or not so great). It’s easy though to think back and be thankful for our best friends, parents, roommates, teachers, and everyone else who has obvious positive impacts on our lives. We should all take a little more time to thank those who have made us better people in not-so-obvious ways.

Thank you to my old friends who have drifted, for showing me your true colors and helping me discover the kind of people who I actually want in my life in the future and what kind of people to avoid.

Thank you to my ex-boyfriend, for helping me realize that I can be independent and don’t need to rely on a boy to make me happy.

Thank you to my mailman, for getting all my online purchases to me before Christmas so I could avoid awkward empty-handedness.

Thank you to my hairdresser, for always being reliable and never letting me walk out of the salon looking like a clown.

Thank you to the girls who blew me off the first week of college, for teaching me that not everyone you meet is going to like you or want to be friends with you, and that’s okay. You just have to find the right people that you click with, not just the first people you meet. Your friendships will be so much stronger.

Thank you to the bus drivers who get me to class on time and help me avoid the cold and rain.

Thank you to the athletes who are better than me and students who are smarter than me, for always pushing me to new goals and forcing me to continuously better myself.

Thank you to the boy who treated me like crap, for helping me see the things that I do want to look for in a guy in the future, and what things to avoid.

Thank you to the teachers who were hard on me, for teaching me how to have stronger work ethic and learn to cope with failure.

Thank you to the nice old man who is always working the cash register in the dining hall and always tells me to have a fantastic day with a smile. It does make even my worst days a little better.

Thank you to the friends (or I guess I should say acquaintances) I made in classes who were always just friends I talked to in class but nothing more. You made going to class a little more bearable.

Thank you to all of the people in my life that make my life a little better even though it goes unnoticed. Thank you to the people who were blessings in disguises. Everyone is in your life for a reason. Rather it be to make it a little better, to teach you something, to look out for you, or whatever other purpose they may have, they should be recognized as well.

I’m looking forward to 2017 and all the new people that enter my life, as well as the old ones that stick around. I’m excited for the ways they have positive impacts on me and lessons they may teach me.