Saturday, December 31, 2016

twenty-six things I learned in twenty-sixteen


  1.  It's okay to get angry sometimes
  2. It's normal to not immediately like everyone you meet
  3. The first step to hearing God is to be quiet and listen
  4. It doesn't hurt to swallow  your pride and stubbornness once in awhile
  5. Friends are worth more than sleep
  6. Nothing is ever quite as bad as it seems--whether it's your appearance, your skills, or that thing you've been dreading
  7. It's normal for feelings about someone to keep changing
  8. Sometimes, you just need to cry after months of not
  9. Just because something is painful or difficult doesn't mean you should give up
  10. If you truly love something, never let it become a chore
  11. Find the people that you love and that love you, and never let them go
  12. Failing is okay
  13. Little kids say the funniest things
  14. Ballet is a tough sport for tough people
  15. Sometimes, places you've never been feel more like home than anywhere
  16. Cats are the best cuddlers
  17. The internet is great, but so is Shakespeare
  18. If you pretend to be patient with someone, eventually you won't have to pretend anymore
  19. Nobody ever said pointe was easy
  20. Sometimes you just gotta sit, listen, smile, and nod
  21. Everybody is a person, don't forget to treat them like one
  22. Don't pay attention if someone criticizes your taste in anything
  23. If at first you don't succeed, stubbornness and determination work wonders
  24. Everyone has 'bad' days, and 'bad' is relative
  25. If you want something, you'd better be willing to work hard and be more determined than ever
  26. Try new things that terrify you. You might like it, you might not. What matters is that you tried.


This is a list I started writing in the end of November to share on here. Looking back on this year, it's been such a year of growth for me--in some good and probably some not so good ways. 

2016 has been a curveball I don't think anyone was expecting. We lost a lot of people that everyone loved. There were shootings and attacks and simple matters of old age. 

But there were good things that came out of 2016, too. New books that rekindled old joy, reboots of old tv shows, new albums, new movies, new Olympic athletes that kicked butt, new musicals, actors that finally won oscars. 

And great things happened for me, personally. I'm on pointe now, since February. I got to act and dance and dabble in the arts more than usual. I pushed myself out of my comfort zone, and realized that some things are just not for me, but that that's okay. I had sleepovers and late-night talks that all of us needed. I got to know people more. I started wearing lots of sweatpants and sweaters, which was one of the best decisions of my life. I discovered new people that made me smile. I went to New York for the first time. I started writing more. I found new music tastes. New things to do with my hair. It's been a great trainwreck of a year. 









So here's to 2017-- that it's a better one, 
that we grow as a nation and as individuals, 
that people find God and how great he is, 
and that those who already have come to appreciate it more. 

2017, may you be a good one.

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