There are years that challenge you. There are years during which you grow a lot. And then there are years you don't seem to really grow at all. There are years full of such unadulterated bliss that you'd choose to live them over again, if only the universe provided you with that option - and there are years so tumultuous, you wish with all your might that you could scrub the days of that year from the haunted recesses of your mind. A year is a long time. A year flies right by. A year can be ruled by love or it can be governed by loss. A year can cause you to embrace fear or it can turn you into someone utterly fearless. A year can change the entire trajectory of your life, and there's always that one year you will never forget. That year? It made me weak and it made me strong. It made me cynical and it taught me how to trust. It made me confront exactly what my life and my soul were missing. It made me explore a future I didn't even know I could hope for. That year almost broke me. But that year might have saved me.