Why 2016 Was the Best Year of My Life

2016 is almost over. Going through my social media accounts, I keep seeing a lot of complaints.

Don't let the door hit you on the way out, 2016. 2016, the curse that started with Harambe. How 2016 killed my soul. 2016, the worst year of my life.

I have to admit that it's kind of funny, and some of the memes are pretty on point, but after a few minutes of this I start to feel unsettled. It's true that 2016 had a lot of low points. Half the people who voted didn't get the President they wanted. A lot of beloved celebrities died (RIP Alan Rickman). BREXIT. The crisis in Syria. I could keep going. Even my personal life suffered major L's. I struggled at work and ended up leaving a job that was supposed to last several years at least. I found myself in a really bad emotional funk for a few months. I became almost completely broke. I celebrated yet another birthday, Christmas, and New Year's single. I think I hit a record for days spent crying in one year. Phew. So I certainly get it. 2016 was a physical, emotional, and spiritual strain. But in spite of all this, I refuse to say it was the worst year of my life, and I don't think you should either.

The way I see it, every terrible occurrence can be flipped around to the positive, and I'm not saying that just because I'm such a positive person. I'm a classic melancholic, and am more prone to complaining, sadness, focusing on the negative, being consumed by minor details, and overanalyzing. Ask any of my friends what my most used phrase is, and they'll reply uuugggghhhhh. I'm like Charlie Brown every time he misses kicking the football. So I'm here to tell you that it's all about attitude. If you deliberately look for the positive, you will find it.

2016 was the best year of my life. I saw my friends step up in amazing ways to support me when I was floundering. I found courage I didn't know I had to leave a job that wasn't working for me. I learned to pray more, I attended daily mass with regularity, and I received the grace of patience that I'd been praying about for years. I learned that money isn't everything, and it's possible to be happy without hardly any at all. I made a lot of new friendships that I cherish, and each one helped stretch me out of my comfort zone. I watched our nation come together over a lot of common goods, and watched people finally say enough is enough. I was reminded to cherish friends and loved ones because you can't put a date on the unexpected. I watched my heart break and heal and break and heal, and in the end I think it had grown several sizes: a reward for suffering.

So you see, 2016 wasn't really the worst year of our lives. And thinking about it that way discredits all the beautiful and amazing things that happened in these 12 months. I watched so many people find love, have babies, get married, buy houses, earn promotions, smile, laugh, and dance. We learned, we grew, we united. There's this song that I love by Chris Tomlin and Lauren Daigle called "Noel." The chorus included the line Come and see what God has done! I've been listening to that song almost non-stop this past week because it fills me with such joy. It's true that 2016 was a struggle, but in spite of that, look and see what God has done. He takes our mess and makes it good, and there's no better time than the Christmas season to reflect on how He renews that promise to mankind every year. Even in 2016. It's appropriate that we celebrate Christmas right before the New Year, because we can take that attitude of joy, promise, and rebirth immediately into 2017.

So I challenge you, think about the ways that 2016 was good to you. Don't retweet sarcastic complaints about how 2016 ruined your life. Don't spread more negativity on Facebook. Look for the positive; you'll find it.

I'm praying for you.