2016

Last year was yet another experience for me. One more chapter in this story we call life. I can't say that it wasn't a struggle. It was a challenge and I did the best I could. I went with it taking every day as it came and tried to remain positive throughout. Every year I analyse the last one, thinking of the good and the bad, and trying to work out if I changed or not. I think in 2016 I did change in a lot of ways. I think I began to see the world in a different light. I'd like to say that I grew up and I became more mature but I'm not sure I did. I think I grew out of things and I grew out of people and places and memories but did I change as a person? I hope not.

I would normally do a yearly review on my YouTube channel but since I don't make videos any more, that didn't seem fitting. Instead, I will do one here. It will be a memory and a keepsake of the journey that was 2016. Last year I faced several challenges and I faced up to some of my fears. I stood up to my friends and stood up for what I believed in. I think I became stronger towards the end of the year and perhaps more resilient. I took the new sorting quiz on Pottermore and got sorted into Gryffindor. Baffled at first, how I could go from being a loyal, patient and kind Hufflepuff, to a bold, fearless and courageous Gryffindor. But it made sense after a while. I'd changed over the last five years. I had become more open, more self assured, and more confident as a person. Maybe I had become ultimately more brave. So there you have it - I'll admit there's some Gryffindor in me. It's the house I always wanted to belong in. And I had to work through things in order to deserve to belong in it. The thing is, I'll never let go of being a Hufflepuff because I now know a Hufflepuff is who I'll always want to be.

Moving on from Harry Potter, I want to remember 2016 as a whole. I want to remember the kindness of my friends and family, and the warmth of strangers. I want to take pride in everything that I achieved and everything I accomplished. I don't want to put myself down for not making bigger changes or not moving far enough in the direction I thought I'd move in, because quite honestly, every step was worthwhile and like I always say, everything happens for a reason. And so the biggest thing I'll take from last year is the decision to respect myself. Not love myself, but respect myself. Because I matter. In this world, I matter and I'll never stop telling myself that.