By Sean Colbert
Senior Pantano High School
January is the year of new beginnings, it’s when everyone sits down and thinks about what they would like to improve on or change that they did last year. It’s the year where the New Year’s resolutions come in and everyone either gets on board or rolls their eyes at those making plans.
With revolutions comes reflection and taking the time to think about yourself and what you can improve. People think that if you make a revolution you have to complete it or all of them when in reality the fact that you tried is what counts.
January also comes to looking back on the year, your favorite thing that happened, and your worst moment. What music and tv shows have you watched and what you can’t wait to come to next year.
I asked people around what their favorite moment of 2021 was and what they want to change for 2022.
Starting with myself I have just graduated high school. My favorite thing that has happened in 2021 is hanging out with my friends. I’m not the type to really let loose and just have fun. If I see something that needs to get done I’m usually more focused on that. The end of the year was different for me. Instead of stressing about work and school I went out with friends and had a blast. This is the first time I actually went out with a friend group and just drove around or went to the mountains, went to the park, and played video games. The time I spent with them means a lot to me and for January I want more of that in my life. I hope to set time aside for just having fun and not worrying about work and other responsibilities.
Lundin, an English teacher at Pantano high school said her favorite moment of last year was having kids back in the classroom after such a long time of seeing everyone through a screen. “Being able to be face to face,” she said. Seeing everybody in the class and interacting together made a lot of teachers’ year better. What she hopes for in 2022 is that there will be more face-to-face and less worry on health issues. “Being able to do more meaningful projects while being healthy and safe.” She also wants the seniors to have a real senior year. Watch them walk across the stage at graduation again and enjoy their last year of high school.
The next person I asked was my mom Sherrie Colbert. My mom’s favorite thing that had happened in 2021 was My birthday. We went and saw “Free Guy” in theaters. She liked watching Ryan Reynolds and seeing some of our favorite content creators in the movie like Jacksepticeye, Lazerbean, and Pokiemain. My mom wants to see more people take the virus seriously in 2022. “We’ve lost so many family members in 2021 to Covid-19.” She doesn’t want to see any more people lose loved ones or have problems due to the virus.
Another person who I talked with was Saylor, a student at Pima County College who says, ” With the country attempting to recover from Covid-19 it seemed like everyone wanted to place blame when we should have been more focused on taking care of each other and our communities. In 2022 I wanna see everyone worry less about politics and more about one another.” They want a year where they can relax and not have to worry too much about the state of the world and if one diction will change it all. Instead of being so divided to come together and fix the problem hurting everybody.
Journey, one of my coworkers at Freddy’s said their favorite thing about 2021 was the many different people they got to meet. People from so many different backgrounds and beliefs with different perspectives. “Being able to talk with diverse groups of people without them shoving their thoughts and opinions down my throat,” she says. What she wants to change in 2022 is how adaptable she is. She wants to be able to be herself and not be someone she’s not just for others. “Be able to find myself and who I am as a person.” Figuring herself out.
My friend Adam, at Pantano High school, says that “In 2021 the thing I liked was that I got to meet a lot of new friends, and got closer to more people in my life that made me feel better.” The thing he would like to change in 2022 is for him to start looking for a career, to start his adult life, and start college to get a degree. To be able to make more friends, and hang out with them, as well as friends he’s had. To focus on his future responsibilities while also maintaining friendships and making new ones.
Another friend of mine MJ, who goes to Pantano High school says that her favorite thing about 2021 was her friends and being able to spend more time with them she said, “one thing I want to change in 2022 is to get grades up and try and do better in school. I also want to spend more time with my family and work on mental health.”
My grandma, Nancy Branwell said her most liked thing of 2021 was being able to work back in the office. She says, “before the doors were open we did everything on Zoom. We were not able to see each other in person unless it was on Zoom or a Team meeting. We are like a family so it was very difficult not to be able to see them even though we talked on the phone, it was not the same.” One thing she wants to change in 2022 is how people handle the virus of Covid 19. “For more people to be safe and take more precautions for them and their families.”
The last person I asked was my sibling’s boyfriend, Allen. Allen said his favorite takeaway of 2021 was hanging out with my sibling Ky. “Ky is my favorite thing in all of my life. They are my rock or anchor so to speak,” he said. Whenever he is at his lowest Ky is always there to pull him out of it. He went on to say that, “even if I don’t feel like I can be myself around people I KNOW I can be around Ky.” One of the things Allen wants to change in 2022 is seeing different people with different ideologies, not fight as much. Being able to have different opinions and stay being friends and family, and not letting it ruin relationships.
As you can see a lot of us had different hit lights and things they loved about 2021. 2021 was still a very hard year but it’s the little things that can make us happy for just a few minutes that could have made the year. Whether that be the friends you made along the way or the relationships you strengthen, we all should go into 2022 with at least that one positive thing from last year.
