New Year's Eve is always an interesting time. It is extra interesting now that I am older, being someone who doesn't really like fireworks, drinking, or trying to make small talk at parties. If I even go out, I'm probably eating all of the crackers and cheese or petting the household animals. Nevertheless, the occasion of NYE is a good checkpoint to look back on the past year, reflect, and begin to look forward.

2016 was a whirlwind adventure. I don't think I even need to name examples of the crazy events; just saying "election cycle" probably has you crawling in your skin. It was a year full of hardships for big communities and nations, and it had hardships on personal levels, too. I could continue to dwell and add to the hellfire of 2016 haters, ranting and raving about how this year needs to be deleted from history, but that wouldn't do justice to my year. It is a year to remember because of all that has happened, all of the bad... and all of the good.

Growing up, the thought of 2016 was something intriguing, intimidating, and unimaginable all at once. It was to be this magical year where I leave high school to become an adult and take a big leap into the rest of my life. When I was younger, this seemed fun, because I had so many ideas on the adult I would want to be and anything felt possible. I would be a ballerina zookeeper who was a baker and movie star on the side, and above all, I would be happy. The future is so bright when you're young and nobody is trying to dull your sparkle. Getting older, it still felt so far away and unreal. Going to middle school or going to high school felt like a constant that was never going to change. At some points, even making it to 2016 felt impossible. But somehow, I kept getting older, senior year came, and the year 2016 started showing up in the expiration dates on food. It was in sight, and I was ready to make the most of this notable year swirling around in my mind for almost a decade.

My senior year, I got to work, and the best of it happened in 2016. I took on one of my biggest writing projects, and I poured myself out on my high school's stage for one last time with a piece I wrote myself. I experienced many "lasts" with my graduating class, some kids new and some that had been around as long as I have. There were last club meetings, last banquets, last parties and classes and field trips. So many lasts leading up to graduation day, which signified the beginning of many firsts. 2016 held my first college visit, and it held my first day at that dream college. There was my first graduation party (full of sprite and board games because I know how to party), my first wedding (not my own wedding, mind you), and my first writing opportunity (thanks, Odyssey!). Even with what felt like the end of a big chapter of my life, the adventure chugged on faster than ever.

I overcame a lot this past year, too. I survived torturous thoughts of losing all of my friends after graduation. I survived anxiety attacks that came before finding the right ways to cope. I survived hard nights of family conflict and feeling more than I probably should. I made it through times when I worried I wouldn't. Even through all of this, I have become more fascinated and positive about the world around me than ever.

The biggest thing that happened, in my mind, is that I allowed myself to grow. I spoke up more when I needed help. I allowed myself to be vulnerable in a world that preys on the weak and gullible. I made it out of high school, my constant, and learned how to thrive somewhere new. I finally got my driver's license at 18, overcoming one of my biggest fears and anxieties. Most of all, I learned to be comfortable with myself. It is alright to spend time alone, to get away from others, to just sit, think, and relax. I'm more comfortable with my appearance, and I'm learning how to listen to my needs to better myself. And maybe this all sounds like a lot of "me, myself, and I," but being comfortable and proud of a body and mind I once felt doomed and trapped in is a big step. 2016 allowed me, in the midst of change and terror and everything else, to learn to see the good in life to offer the world so much more.

To end this massive end-of-the-year mind dump, I want to make a toast to who is reading this for making it this far. You deserve a medal for all of the antics pop culture and social media has thrown at you, not including whatever you had to face at home, but you're here and you're alive. 2016 was an important year that will always hold a special place for me, but I want to make 2017 a year that holds good memories and accomplishments for us all.

So, here's to surviving the past. Here's to making the most out of life. Here's to a new year and another chance to laugh endlessly, love unapologetically, and thrive. Cheers, friends.