I have hope that good things are yet to come, the new year feels like an optimistic promise

#TeenEssay

This year, like the year before it, has been a strange one. So much has happened since we celebrated the new year. It’s been a hybrid of going back to normal and staying far from it. We are trying to move forward towards what was, to progress towards what used to be. And although doing that has been strange, and it hasn’t been perfect, I’ve felt the successes of that motion in my return to school and sports and some of the other things I hadn’t been able to do in 2020.

The new year feels like an optimistic promise, a hope in itself of new excitement and possibilities. My hope for 2022 is that it will be as full as possible with good things- not just for me, but for everyone.

• I have hopes for myself in the new year: for success in school and in all my extracurriculars, for time with family and friends, for fun experiences.
• I have hopes for my family. I hope we’ll be able to safely do more traveling. I hope we’ll find plenty of time to spend together despite all our busy schedules.
• I have hopes for my community: for my softball team and marching band to be successful, for my school community to continue growing and thriving.
• I have hopes for the world, too. I want the world to be able to safely move back into a more “normal” lifestyle. I don’t want people to have to worry about getting seriously sick doing things they enjoy. I hope for progress, for improvements, for success.

And as we leave the eventful 2021, as we enter a new year, I hope that we can continue to move forwards: not only towards what was, but also towards what will be, and all the good things yet to come.

Anna Janowski is a teen volunteer at the Beaverton City Library.