As this year starts to wind down, it’s a time to reflect on what this past year has brought to me. This year has been an interesting one, I’ve learned a lot, and have discovered what’s really important to me and what I need in life right now.

I’ve learned to be thankful for the friends and people who care about me most. I’ve come to the realization and have become fully aware that there are people out there who truly care for me and like me the way I am. I’ve realized they’d do anything for me and are willing to help me out in times of need. I guess I never fully understood that. Now that I do, it’s breathtaking. It makes me feel so happy knowing that I have so many people who are willing to sacrifice or do anything for me. I’ve had friends help me through issues, they allow me to rant to them, and they give me advice or console me on what’s going on. And I always know my family is there for me as well. Once I was able to come to that conclusion, I felt uplifted.

I’ve also realized that letting people go is OK. I got into a predicament with a friend a few months ago, we weren’t friends anymore. It hurt me, made me feel sad and killed me every time I thought about it. However, I had close friends and even people I don’t normally talk to a lot help me through this. They told me what I needed to hear and made me see the bright side of the situation. I learned I don’t need to work at relationships if the other person isn’t giving the same effort. I need to let people go if it isn’t worth it anymore, if they’re not willing to reflect the same effort I am, then what’s the point? There is none. It took me awhile to figure that out, and once I did, I felt more free. I didn’t feel trapped anymore. It was this amazing feeling.

I’ve also learned things happen for a reason. No matter what the cause is, it happens to benefit you in the long run. Whether it’s you don’t make a team, or you go through a rough situation with friends, in the end it will resolve beautifully. Or if things don’t go exactly the way you intend them to go, that’s OK, because the result could be even better that you imagine. This past year, many things have happened to me to the point where I feel like it’s the end of the world, not to be too dramatic. But honestly, it sometimes feels that way. And for a bit, it’s awful. You feel horrible about it not going your way or the situation turning out bad. However, through all of these situations, the ending of these have all turned out better than I even could imagine. I would wind out happier and I would feel more confident about the situation. This was probably the best thing I could realize because this has helped me so much and will always benefit me.

This past year has been a great, memorable year. So much has happened for the better, and for the worse. But, through it all, I’ve learned and grown from my experiences. I’m able to develop and mature more and come to be the person I really want to be. I know I’ll learn more throughout life undoubtedly, but having these few moral lessons now, will help guide me to my next chapter of life and will continue to help me grow.