How was your year?
Whenever I get on Facebook these days I see an insane amount of bellyaching and newsfeed sh*tposting that's quite frankly got me tired as hell.
Yeah, Mr. Trump is our president-elect, and yeah, the election had us on a figurative roller coaster that got worse and worse as the year went on.
However, despite all this insanity that kept happening around me (and the fact that I literally heard Donald Trump's name 10 times per day), I had the best year of my life.
Turns out it's actually pretty easy to have a great time despite what's going on around us. Now, I don't mean to say we should ignore what's happening in the political sphere, but we shouldn't let it decide whether we have a good year or a bad one.
I remember I met an English guy in Austin right around the time Brexit was happening. When it did happen he was pretty devastated -- even though I could tell he was holding back from showing it a bit.
The crazy thing is we drove six hours that day to a beautiful spot up in Tucson, catching the sunset in a place called Sabino Canyon. I could post pictures, (which I will) but trust me when I say these images will never give you the same feeling I felt standing there in real time.
Oddly enough I never heard one more word about Brexit the entire time we were together. Granted, we were only with each other for a few days after that, but come on -- nothing??
The next day we saw Sedona in upstate Arizona, both absolutely fascinated by these beautiful red rocks jutting out of the desert. You should've seen our jaws on the drive up there.
The point is there's more important things in life.
Now, how the hell could I say something like that about something like government?
I honestly think political issues get so blown out of proportion by the media (hypocritical, I know) that we lose track of the things that hold us together.
These issues are important to talk about, however are they more important than treating our fellow man with some iota of respect? Or standing in awe of this sophisticated planet we inhabit?
I mean, we aren't the only beings that live here--and I get it, government can help (or not help) make this amazing world a better place. But I think often times we get so caught up in the fighting and sh*tposting that we forget about what we're actually here to do, or what we've come to save.
There's nothing like sitting at the end of the world while watching a sunset to bring you back to this realization. It definitely grounds you a bit.
As a side note, sometimes all we want to do is be heard. I try to hear everybody even if I disagree.
I had a wonderful 2016. I watched the first presidential debate in Bozeman, Montana. I watched the second one in Salt Lake City. I watched the last one in Denver.
I spent two and a half months with my best friend in San Francisco and met so many other people that made my year fantastic.
I certainly don't have all the answers, but I believe I had a great year because I spent it in awe of this country (and world), while simultaneously trying to spend more time with the people that mean a lot to me.
And yes, the political situation this year had me down on a multitude of occasions, but I chose to focus on other things. I saw the beauty of this country (and this country's people) while working on finding myself as a 23-year-old caught up in the world.
So, before we keep talking about the shitty year that we had, let's take a look around us! The people and places that surround us are what we're really here for. We can find the light in any situation. I hope we can all find it from here on out, wherever we go or whatever happens.
Like what you read? Find more of Tom's writing at The Post-Grad Survival Guide. You can also follow him on Instagram, or give his Facebook page a like to keep up with what he's doing. You can also follow him on Twitter, Youtube, or Vimeo, as well as cut out the middle-man to read his blog.