New Year’s Eve. The point in the year where we see everyone reflecting on all of their great achievements of the previous 12 months. I’m not here to do that. Instead, I’m here to congratulate you.

“Congratulate me for what? This year has been a shit show, Holly.” Yes, it was. But, we made it. We were all thrust from our comforts, forced to deal with a global pandemic (some of us were more adult about it than others) and the road that went along with it. Whether it was money, mental health issues, health problems, distance learning or all of the above and then some, we’ve all had something to deal with this year. For me, it was all of this plus an unexpected (and frightening) trip to the emergency room. (That’s a story for another time.)

We have all felt a range of every possible emotion: joy, anger, frustration, excitement, sadness, fear, confusion, jealousy, disgust, empathy, worry, anxiety. Our roads have all been different, but it’s been the same road: a road of survival.

Please don’t diminish your own journey if it wasn’t as glamorous as someone else’s. (Lord knows that my year was anything but glamorous.) The journey was yours and if all you did was get up every day and survive, then BRAVO. This year has been tough and surviving should be applauded.

So, as we close the door on this dumpster fire of a year, let’s go into the next knowing that we held it together in a year that tried to break us (and probably did break some of us some days). We may have struggled. Some of us may STILL be struggling. But, we made it.

And that’s something to be pretty damn proud of.