A new year’s article. That’s original, right?

Not exactly. People have been writing them for about the past two thousand years. But I digress; no two are alike because, as it happens, no two years are alike. The passing of time is a complex and intricate system of circumstances and occurrences affected by the everyday choices of every one of the seven and a half billion inhabitants on the planet. As such, there are infinite timelines depending on what pair of shoes you elect to wear today.

And if you decide to go barefoot, who knows what might happen?

All kidding aside, the present time is indeed an uncertain one. Political unrest, senseless violence, and ever-dwindling freedoms continue to relentlessly barrage us on all sides. Newscasts and radio announcements continually toll the bells of misfortune while even the weather seems to taunt us with its unruly winter chill.

Despite the crepuscular air of foreboding that follows us into 2017, we must not lose heart. Many good things came out of last year and many more are likely to occur this year. Perhaps an engagement announcement or a promotion of a family member comes to mind, maybe a reunion with an old friend or even a particularly high grade on a test. Regardless of the magnitude of the occasion, we have much to be thankful for from 2016.

Many of us seem to express the opinion that we are glad that 2016 is finally over, that perhaps just because a certain twelve months are over inexorably means that things will start looking up again. Yet, there’s really no reason to believe that this is true at all. Bad things and good will continue to occur as they have irrevocably done for the past thousands of years, and no single digit change on flimsy paper calendars can successfully deter the inevitable passing of time.

But that does not mean that we are powerless against misfortune and despair. Quite the contrary is true. With all the wisdom we have gleaned from last year, we are now able to utilize our gotten knowledge in order to further our goals these next twelve months. We can reflect on what we did not like last year and try to change those circumstances for the better. We can make a conscious effort to spend time with those that we love, and to distance ourselves from those people and things that discourage and dishearten us.

Perhaps the reason we were so disenchanted with 2016 was that we were tired of the same habits and routines. We were simply waiting for a chance to turn over a new leaf as it were, to have an opportunity to change ourselves for the better.

We have that chance now. Reform, change, or stay exactly the same. Either way, you now have the ability to resolve to do anything you want. So if you were too scared, too tired, too uncertain, too wary to do whatever it is you wanted to do way back in 2016, it’s a new year! You can do it now.

Perhaps 2017 won’t be that bad after all.