In 2016, I was terrified of the New Year. Donald Trump had just been elected and I wanted nothing more than for 2017 to come to a halt. But just because we are going through this horrible period of time does not mean great things can’t happen. There is some good that will come out of even the worst times and I think we all need that reminder especially after the year we’ve had.
In a few days, “new year, new me” will litter the comments section of every social media post and maybe for a second I’ll try to believe that that’s possible.
We’ve been taught that everyone should want what’s new and exciting, from technology to clothes. These “new” things that we place on a pedestal aren’t really that new, just a minor improvement or fix here and there, yet we are all still drawn to it.
We live for the constant “glow-ups” and “transformations” because it gives us hope that we too, can suddenly become new and exciting. That maybe if we do a tweak here or a tweak there, that we will become the new thing that everyone wants.
We are all guilty of it. Every year I think about it, that maybe I’ll change everything about myself, cut my hair, change my clothes, exercise more. But even if I do all of these things, I will still be living in the same body as before.
Every year, we come up with a resolution, a way to fix something about ourselves. And maybe it’s something really simple like drinking more water or stoping procrastinating. But this year I’m taking a new direction.
Because whether or not we want to face it, a lot has happened in the past 365 days. Sexual assault accusations, police brutality and outright horrible discrimination against thousands. But we cannot erase what happened or make this new again, we can only form a resolution to make it better.
2017 was a rough year, there’s no denying it. But we can protest, speak out, rise and be more.
We get a new calendar with new days and new opportunities. And each one is a chance to be a “new me.”
And now, for the first time ever, I have a resolution I actually want to stick to this year.
