By now you’ve seen the “2016 WAS THE WORST” meme at every turn (my own contribution is above; you’re welcome). And it really was. The worst.
But just because things (by which I mean our democracy, and our country, and our world, and, okay, the future of mankind) are looking a little bleak at the moment, that doesn’t mean that it’s all bad out there. It also doesn’t mean we shouldn’t have hope; to the contrary, now is when we need hope the most.
So – and I say this as the Grinchiest New Year’s Eve-er of all time; a person who views this holiday as little more than a vehicle for crippling hangovers and guilt over broken resolutions – tonight, when the clock strikes midnight, let’s celebrate the fact that millions and millions of people all over our country are coming together in ways they never have before, united by the desire to prove once and for all that love speaks louder. And then let’s wake up to a brand new year, where anything’s possible.
In that spirit, below are a few reasons to feel hopeful about 2017. Some have to do with politics (sorry). Others have to do with Taylor Swift (sorry again; we’re working from a limited pool of options here).
10 REASONS TO FEEL HOPE FOR 2017
1. Taylor Swift is going to come out with a new album. Which is great, because Kendrick and I need a new theme song for our next road trip.
2. Art flourishes in bad times, which means we can look forward to an explosion of creativity. Thank God for people brave enough to keep creating no matter what. We need them now, and I’m certain they’re going to show up in 2017.
3. Cleveland is going to Win the World Series. Kendrick told me to write this.
4. Michael Moore has definitively proven that he is Nostradamus. It’s sort of like Michael Moore is Russia, and Donald Trump’s brain is the D.N.C.
5. Louis C.K. exists. He’s going to do something in 2017, and chances are whatever he does will be the funniest thing we’ve ever seen.
6. Pantone’s color of the year is “Greenery.” Zesty!
7. We can maybe believe what we read in the news a little more than we could before (well, sort of). Thanks for helping us remember that (sometimes) we can trust the media, New York Times, Washington Post, NPR, and Mark Zuckerberg! (OK, that last one is still a work in progress, but points for effort.)
8. We’re (finally) starting to listen to each other. Americans all along the political spectrum know something is broken, and a hell of a lot of them want to fix it. The majority of the population thinks that democracy is worth fighting for, and are confident love will win in the end. That’s no small thing.
9. Obama’s going to write a book. And it’s going to be awesome.
10. If things get worse, Elon Musk will invent an alternate universe that he will call Mount Olympus. And then we can go live there instead! Problem: solved.
