Jackson Free Press

John Lennon once said, "Life happens when you're busy making other plans." That's always been one of my favorite quotes, but never one that seemed to apply to me. Up until the last year, my life was going pretty well. I have a great job, had a great fiance, and I lived with family, so other than my car note and a few credit-card bills, I didn't have many other bills to pay.

And then the bottom seemed to drop. I moved into a house with my sister and began dealing with many adult problems I'd managed to escape until now. Then, as if anything could get worse, my fiance decided to end our five-year relationship.

So there I was, knee deep in the BOOM cycle, trying to figure out how to manage my money and dealing with what was probably the worst moment of my life. And all of this before the holiday season began its ascension. For about a week, I was a complete basket case. All I could do was throw myself into my job and try to avoid the worries and sorrow that plagued me.

It's been about three weeks since then and, for the most part, I'm doing OK. I keep busy as much as possible. I still miss him and occasionally have my moments, but after I do, I get back on my feet, dust myself off and look toward 2015 as a chance to start fresh.

And don't think this is just a sad story. It shocked me beyond belief, and for a while I had a hard time comprehending. But eventually I turned forward and started moving, no matter how slow or fast it was at any given point in time.

That's what this new year is for me, and probably for many other people. I don't know how you've fared this year. Maybe it's been a great year, and you have no complaints, or maybe you've been dealing with something terrible. Either way, 2015 is a chance to turn over a new leaf.

In more ways than one.

Instead of a chance to make a temporary change in the form of a New Year's resolution, why don't we all look at 2015 as a chance for rebirth? If you've found yourself in a similar situation to mine, change it. I don't mean to go out and find someone or whatever you're looking for. Stop looking at it as a dead end and see it as a chance to try and fulfill all of your dreams.

Do you want to own your own business? Do some research and get started. Do you want to get more into your craft? Do it. Stop making excuses as to why you can't. And use this time as a chance to reconnect with people you haven't talked to in a while. Spend time with family and those friends you haven't seen lately.

It's hard to deal with something like this or even worse situations, but that doesn't mean your life has ended. I'm a firm believe in silver linings, although sometimes I have a hard time seeing them myself.

If you find yourself facing a giant in 2015, take a step back, close your eyes and exhale, and remember that you can make it through this. Though I may not always believe this, God (or whatever deity you believe or don't believe in) never gives you more than he thinks you can handle. The key phrase there is "he thinks you can handle," because you may be capable of more than you realize.

Let's stop using the phrase "New Year's resolution." Unless you have major follow-through, you probably won't stick to your resolution. Most of us don't. My stepdad makes a resolution every year to quit smoking, and every year, he does it for about a month and then just returns to those old habits.

Think of the word "resolution." You probably heard it bantered about it English class about the format of a plot. A resolution is a solution to a conflict. New Year's resolutions generally are solutions, but they're only a temporary solution. Instead of calling it a resolution, why not call it a new leaf or a new chapter? And instead of starting on the first of the year, why not start now?

My goal for 2015 is to get to know myself, and even though all I've wanted for the last few weeks is for this year to end, I've already made my fresh start. Maybe not completely, but I did start. I bought a camera with some of my gift cards from Christmas so I could get back into photography, and I've baked more than I ever have in the last few years. I'm making many other changes, but those are the two I started focusing on after everything happened.

Here at the Jackson Free Press and BOOM magazine, we will focus on growth in 2015, whether it be in the things we cover or the company itself. We have big plans in store for the new year, and we've already begun the process of making it all happen.

In 2015, we should change many of the issues that plague Mississippi and the United States. Instead of taking sides in the ongoing race dialogue, why don't we look at it critically and see it as a matter of human interest, not the color of your skin?

Instead of seeing the Mike Brown situation as just a white cop killing an unarmed black teenager, why not look at it as a chance to improve police forces around the country, to teach them how to be more accountable instead of trying to let body cameras do all the work? (Not that the body cameras are a bad idea.)

Don't sit there and complain about the state of education. Let's talk about how to make it better, starting with giving more funding to it. Instead of trying to make abortion and birth control a moral issue, why don't we ask women what they want? I guarantee to you most would say, "a choice." And let's look at it as a human-rights issue, too, and not just something that affects one gender. And for our LGBT friends and family, let's keep fighting for their legal rights, because in the end, it doesn't matter. You love whom you love no matter his or her skin color, gender or sexual orientation.

Let's let 2015 be a true year of rebirth and a fresh start.

Assistant Editor Amber Helsel is a textbook Gemini who loves "Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy," "2 Broke Girls," baking cupcakes and listening to music. Send her tips about arts, food and other features to [email protected].