Remember the New Year of 2016? It was spent filing your FAFSA in hopes of money for your education. That night, you made a promise as you decorated your new 2016 calendar that this year would be one of the best. You would be graduating, going to college, and making a new life for yourself. Letting go of this time seemed a lot easier to do then. You didn't believe you would miss the people that surrounded you or the small town you spent your entire life wishing to escape from. You were ready for something new.

The year continued and you didn't expect that letting go would be so difficult. You and your friends became consumed with the idea of changing your scenery and getting to know new people. Your schoolwork became less important because things were so easy to do. Your friendships became stronger though since everyone bonded over the idea of leaving.

Graduation day was difficult. You never expected to cry or honestly feel anything because you were so excited to go to college. However, you realized how your heart would no longer be filled with the laughter of your friends or your dad's jokes or your cousin's hugs. You realized that you were about to be away from what you knew as the most comfortable place in this entire world, which was the small town you no longer resented. Because it wasn't the small town that you would miss so much, but the people and the experiences that lived there.

Summer was spent with friends and family. You did some travelling and some working so you could save for school. Your heart grew a thousand times when you went on a service trip called Y-Corps. You felt yourself changing into the person you wished to be and that was someone who helped others with everything you had. Your mind had expanded along with your soul. You were a seed and Y-Corps was the water helping you grow.

Now, the rest of the summer was spent hassling trying to get everything together to leave and trying to work and spend time with family. You were so focused on trying to cherish every moment and in that time, realized how beautiful your life was on these last days at home. Move-in day was just these feelings intensified. Leaving your parents and best friend was quite possibly the most emotional time you had endured up to this point.

New friends, a new place, basically a new life. You learned the ropes of school quickly because you had to adjust. You let your heart open for people and some were deserving and some tried to ruin you but you didn't let that get to you. You had your down times but always knew that there was a strong support system ready to life you back up. You grew stronger in yourself as well and realized that it was alright to put you before others sometimes. Doing what you need to do to maintain a positive mental health is more important than trying to please others. You let people hurt you and you didn't stop being as compassionate as ever.

At the end of 2016, life seemed to be looking up. A new person came into your life and he seemed to be the type of person you needed- not to fix you, you're not broken- but to show you that you are stronger than you think you are. And honey, I am ready for 2017. Here's to change.