Dear 2016,

With only six weeks left, you have already been dubbed the worst year in history. There have been so many bad things that our world has been faced this year- Zika, Flight 804, Pulse nightclub, the presidential election, Paris and Brussels bombings, etc. This has been a year that thousands of people have lost their lives, and thousands more have been left to grieve. David Bowie, Alan Rickman, Prince, Christina Grimmie and so many others- you've stolen so much of our joy this past year, and it's not even over yet.

You've broken the heart of millions. You've left so many people needing to start over and wanting to erase you from their minds. And looking at this past year, seeing the exhaustion it's caused our population, I can't say that I blame any of them.

But then I remember the things that you've done right. The breakthroughs in chemotherapy treatment that has increased pancreatic survival rates by 9%. An increase in technological research on robotic limbs. Many dentists around the nation that have started providing free care for veterans. Bob Dylan receiving a Nobel Peace Prize. Leonardo DiCaprio wining an Oscar (finally). J.K. Rowling gracing us with a new Harry Potter book. 50 million trees that were planted in India during a 24 hour period, thanks to volunteers.

We've lost so many. We grieve for them, and also for the events that have taken place that we may not be happy about. But also, I need to thank you for all the things you've been responsible for teaching me.

Thank you for showing me how to respect someone, even if I don't agree with them. Thank you for challenging me- my beliefs, my expectations, my courage. Thank you for helping me figure out the person I want to be. Thank you for showing me that this world is filled with awful, horrible people- but I don't have to be one of them. Thank you for showing me that I can stand up and be the person who does the right thing, even when it might be the hardest thing to do. Thank you for giving me a clear sense of what I want and how I can achieve it. Thank you for motivating me to be better than what I've seen. Thank you for inspiring me. Thank you for showing me that I don't need to identify everyone with who they voted for in the last election, but who they've shown me they are. Thank you for proving to me that I'm stronger than I think. Thank you for teaching me how to not scare so easily. Thank you for a worldwide community of people that know how to come together- to grieve, to comfort, to fight the evils of this world. Thank you for a chance to prove to myself- and everyone else- how strong I can be.

And so, 2016, you sucked. A lot of the time. But you were also amazing. A lot of the time. Thanks for the memories. It's time we make 2017 even better.

Sincerely,

Optimistic