Each year we dress up in our most eye-catching outfits, highest heels, and the most intense smokey eyes hoping that we can be as glamorous as Fergie, and kiss the most attractive stranger like Jenny McCarthy. We spend the night chugging cheap alcohol, drinking the old year under the table, dancing around to loud music, until the clock strikes twelve and we rush outside to call our family members screaming over the neighbors fireworks, and the crappy cell phone reception. Then we spend the rest of the night sipping even cheaper champagne- our hopes for the New Years are as high as the heels we threw off an hour ago, and our dreams and possibilities as bright as the fireworks. We stand in the middle of the street slightly intoxicated, finally with four bars (the best we’re probably going to get tonight), watching the fireworks kiss the clouds above us. This year is our year.

Yes, I’m writing a New Year’s article in June. I know what you’re thinking… or I think I do anyways. Why would she do that? We finally got rid of Jenny Craig commercials, and accepting the fact that we couldn’t uphold our resolutions, but starting our second round and hoping we still fit into last year’s bathing suits. We haven’t even gotten through summer or the holidays! I’m writing a June New Year because we are so quick to throw out the year that’s behind us, the year that made us, us. We’ve accomplished too much in the last 365 days to just forget about it and move on. But more importantly, I’m writing it because, as sad and as unrealistic as we hope it may be, some of us don’t get the chance to see a new year. Some people won’t wake up to see another hot summer morning, or another chilly hungover January one. Someone won’t wake up next to their husband or wife, boyfriend or girlfriend. Someone won’t wake up to a brother or sister. Someone isn’t waking up to the sound of their child crying, or their 7am alarm clock waking them up for their writing class. So rather than waiting for December to celebrate a new year, let’s take each night, and each morning to celebrate a new day.

“What gets you out of bed in the morning?”
“The thought that any ordinary day could be the day I look back on when I’m much older as being the best of my life.” – New Girl

I’m not writing this article to tell you to do something crazy each day, to get up out of bed in the morning and go jump out of a plane, cliff jump, or to climb Mount Everest. Your life isn’t measured by the amount of mountains you’ve climbed or how much courage you had to work up to throw yourself out of a plane and fall 14,000 feet and experience 60 long seconds of freefall, before hopefully pulling your parachute. Wake up and be grateful that you’re under the same roof with the people that love you, or any roof at all. Hope that the day holds millions of little possibilities and that you are able to take advantage of a few of them. Put a smile on someone’s face, be a decent person.

Slightly off topic, but with all of the things happening around the world, all of the racial discrimination, homophobia, and violence, it’s baffles me that someone can project so much hate onto another human being, and community. It’s 2016, and gun regulation (for the failure of a better word here) sucks, and people are being shot for loving the same sex. It’s 2016, and people can’t love who they want and have to walk the streets with fear; we’ve failed not as just a country, but as people, as human beings. To take away someone else’s life because of utter ignorance, or because communication is now too much of a failed weapon, is beyond me.

Andy Carvin tweet via Twitter “RE: the Orlando shooting, CNN just described something I’ve never thought of- as investigators are inside of the nightclub, where many of the bodies are still where they fell, they have to tune out the nightmarish sound of all of the deceased phones’ ringing constantly as loved ones try to reach them. #Shudder.”

I wanted to mention the heartbreaking and downright terrible events that have been occurring in Orlando, but in no way can write a proper article in which I could properly explain, and propose a solution, or convey the heaviness in my heart towards the friends and families of the victims. To nearly cover the negligence of the ignorant, the loss of innocent lives… My heart goes out to all of the victim’s families and the LGBTQ community. Everyone deserves to be happy, loved, respected, everyone deserves to live.

We all deserve to live, and too many people are taken from us too soon. Life is fragile, and it’s scary to think when we no longer have any control over it any longer, whose hands do we fall in?

“..And it occurs to me how fragile our lives are, how at any moment the sky can open and drown us, the earth can open and swallow us. I think of all the intricate ways our bodies can betray us, the accidents and the atrocities, the missteps, and the misunderstandings.” - A. Manette Ansay, Sister

Last year my mom had a brain tumor. (I wasn't going to write about it and I'll keep it short, but her strength, and amazing recovery, thank God, deserves applause. You're amazing, mom.) It was a Monday night. It was like any other night, my dad, mom, sister and I ate dinner together and then went in the family room and watched TV. I took my dog out, and went to bed. I had trouble sleeping that night and remember looking at the clock every hour. I woke up, to the click of my dad turning on his lamp, and his shaky voice. I threw my covers off and jumped out of bed, immediately I knew something was wrong. I ran into my parent’s room, and jumped on their bed. I had no time to process what was happening, no time to think. Me and my dad were both screaming and shaking my mom in attempt to wake her up. I felt like a little girl, I needed my mom.

I still couldn’t process what was happening. How everything went from being so normal, to our world being turned upside down. I remember staring at my phone that night, looking at my text messages from the previous day. Longing to go back to when things were normal.

My mom taught me how to fight my own battles, and inspired me with her strength when she was fighting her own. And my dad showed me how important and how powerful love is. To this day, and every other day after, she will always be the most inspirational woman in my life. And I'm so fortunate for every day that I get to hug and kiss her good morning.

We take too many things for granted. Life is too fragile, and unpredictable… last year was the best New Years. Not because I was at a party, but because I was surrounded with family. My uncle opening the champagne bottle, my aunt handing out the glasses, my little cousin singing, my sister next to me, and my mom and dad's arms wrapped around me.

My June resolution is to love as much as my heart possibly can, to give, forgive, and be grateful. What’s your Half-Year’s Resolution?

“Love, hope, fear, faith; these make humanity. These are its sign and note and character.” – Robert Browning