When it was 2016 it was a very _____ year.

Memes take an idea and turn it into an obsession.

The most prominent example currently would be "2016 was a horrible year". Although, most of the expressions of that thought have been a lot more extreme.

However, as I consider my own 2016 I know that it was not the horrible year that many people are making it out to be. Sure, a lot of celebrities died and for many of them I was hit in the feels. However, unlike their family, it did not have a major impact on my life. Just like the many other people who died in 2016 that I didn't hear about because they weren't famous. Their deaths did little to affect my life.

I don't mean to belittle their deaths. Those deaths impacted someone and John Donne's classic poem would have me believe that each loss diminishes mankind. However, did they have a strong negative effect on my well-being? No. For me, 2015 was far worse than 2016. In 2015 I lost two close family members. Those had far greater impact than all the celebrity deaths of 2016.

Look at the children. My children know little about the deaths of Gene Wilder, Carrie Fisher, Alan Rickman, or Prince. Why? I didn't tell them. I didn't tell them because I knew they wouldn't care. Their year was completely unaffected by the death of famous people. Shouldn't my year be the same way?

I mean, what are the important things that actually impacted my year? Can I judge the year by those? Yes, yes I can. I was healthy most of the year. I got to participate in my favorite hobby multiple times and had a blast doing so. My family was healthy. I was fed, I was clothed. I had friends who supported me in my goals. I actually achieved many goals.

All in all, 2016 was, for me, a good year. Not a great year, but definitely a good year.

I'm going into 2017 with a clear picture in my head. People are going to die. More celebrities will pass away. It happens. It will be heartbreaking. Things will happen in politics that I won't agree with. There will be sickness. There will be hard times. There will be laughter. There will be health. There will be family. There will be love.

I'm under no illusion that 2017 has to be better than 2016. I don't know what it will hold. There are bad times on the horizon. There always are. However, my 2017 won't be judged by those moments. It will be judged by all the happy moments in between. I'm hoping to make a lot of them. I have a lot of goals after all.

So Happy New Year everyone!

And my condolences to everyone who lost someone important to them in 2016.