Two-thousand and sixteen

Crowned one of the worst years in many peoples’  eyes

For many it was a year of distress, chaos, uncertainty

For me it was a year of self-discovery, growth, and learning

 

January

A month of post celebration gloom

Times of broken resolutions and shaky beginnings

Thrown back into the rush of everyday life

 

February

29 days of learning to move forward

Trying on different personalities like stiff new shoes

Making an effort to fit in

 

March

I spent my birth month walking through a forest

Planting seeds of self-confidence soon to blossom

But afraid of sowing them into the wrong soil

 

April

Discovering a love of being onstage

Learning to express newfound trust in myself

Finding my main role in the ongoing performance of my life

 

May

A whirlwind of excitement

Solving the complex puzzle of friendship

Piecing together my new world

 

June

Excited to sail on to a new destination

Yet realizing I must let go of a comforting and familiar place

Bittersweet goodbyes and cautious hellos

 

July

 Learning to be a leader not a follower

Embarking on my own journeys, my own adventures

Balancing responsibilities and recreation

 

August

A month of trying to fit in all of the summer I thought I missed

Realizing a new adventure was approaching

Meeting my most important ally on this new journey

 

September

The new beginning I dreamed of

Learning to find my place once again, to be a freshman, the youngest

An entire new world to discover and make my own

 

October

Settling into new friendships

Halloween day wearing a costume that was only temporary.

Instead of masquerading every day, I wouldn’t change for anyone.

 

November

A month I had been anticipating, reading about, studying

Overcoming the inevitable election, moving forward

Deciding to rise above something that I could not yet influence

 

December

A person completely different from January

Walking in her own shoes, planting her own garden

Piecing together her puzzle of an uncertain yet hopeful future