An ode to 2017

While it is funny how the onslaught of Salt Bae memes and fidget spinner craze still feels like something that erupted yesterday, it is horrible when I have to write down the date and cower at the presence of the number "12" in between. It's unbearable for me to accept we're more than halfway through December already and after only a few days, 2017 will be anything but present.

To me, this year was the combination of both good and bad. I was met with rejections, acceptances, failures, and victories. While there were times I was extremely angry with myself, there were times as well when I couldn't be any prouder.

As 2017 neared, I remember jotting down my New Year resolutions partly just for the sake of doing so and mostly for the 365-days-365-new-chances-borne quotes, and not glancing at it for the second time. But I'm sure I've accomplished more than whatever I had added to that list. At times, this year was Medusa; an air filled with unconquerable fear blew everywhere. However, in the end, it was Perseus - a saviour who silently pierced the dark.

I can visualise how it was a large gaping hole too. It sucked everything bad in - everything including the actual representation of snake emoji from my phone's keyboard. Honestly when I think about the tough phases that I had to pull myself through, it induces a sense of relief in me. Relief because it feels victorious to have overcome something I thought I never could. While having been injected with unending doses of stress, I had cursed this year for not living up to what I had expected it to be. I was ready to deem it a waste just like a plethora of memes claim. It is important to note that lugging oneself through hardships and reaching the end of what seems like a perpetual tunnel is victory. This is the most important lesson that 2017 has taught me well.

This was the year that fed our thirst for laughter by the eruption of newly bred memes and videos of some obsessive guy whining over his fictional other half. This was the year that took away our favourites from different spheres: Chester Bennington, Chris Cornell, Annisul Huq, Nayak Raj Razzak, and more. This was the year we witnessed Glenn's fate on The Walking Dead and Jon Snow's rather "unconventional" act on Game of Thrones.

This was the year that saw its share of tragedies, got wounded and eventually healed, conquering the horrors it faced. Needless to say, 2017 was a roller coaster. It was fun, terrifying, and again, relieving.

Trust me, even though you think it's not ending on a good note, it is. Look at your current Facebook rants a year from now, and you'll understand how much you've evolved. No matter what a waste one considers a year during its end, it is anything but.

Shah Tazrian Ashrafi strongly believes 2017 did more good to him than bad. Wish him luck for next year at facebook.com/shahtazrianashrafi