Why I No Longer See the New Year as a "Fresh Start"

It's New Years Eve and here I sit looking up sparkly outfits on Pinterest, planning this evening's events and musing about the pictures I'll take at midnight. I'm also thinking back on the past year.

Typically, today is a day of reflection and of decisions to make the upcoming year better. We fill our minds and planners with resolutions and positive thoughts. We promise ourselves that this year will be better than the last and that we'll keep working out even after January 14th (though who are we kidding?).

However, as I sit and think of everything that has transpired over the last twelve months, I can't help but to be overwhelmed with gratitude. This year has been one full of wonders, adventures, new friends and new opportunities, but it's also been one with hardships and trials.

Throughout all of these experiences I've noticed many things, starting with how incredibly lucky I am to have so many supportive and caring souls in my life. This year I was faced with hard choices, loss and scary beginnings, yet I didn't have to do any of it alone. Some of my relationships drifted apart and some of them became much stronger, for which I am extremely thankful.

I've also noticed how significantly my outlook has changed. Things that used to be important to me have lost their significance, while things that were never quite on my radar have taken on a whole new meaning. Watching yourself grow up is a weird thing to do, yet it's oddly satisfying to see the transformation within yourself.

This year I was blessed with the news of my timely graduation, internships that taught me things I never would have learned in a classroom, friends who I thank God for daily and a fiancé who I cannot wait to marry.

There are many things that are different because of 2015 and while I may not have chosen to do some things the way they fell, I am humbled to remember that my plan is not the one that matters.

So the reason I have chosen to no longer see the New Year as a "fresh start" is because I am proud of what I came from and where I'm going. I wouldn't undo a single moment of the past year because it all brought me to where I am now. I am excited for the New Year and to see it as a continuation of the exciting events that are happening now. I will not belittle the ups or the downs of 2015 because they pushed me forward in ways that I never expected, but I will look forward to whatever it is that 2016 has to hold, the good the bad and the ugly, because ultimately it's all part of His plan for me. A plan that has yet to let me down.