The countdown is complete, the last bottle of bubbly has been popped, and we’ve seen the ball drop in Times Square; 2017 is a officially upon us.

I work in retail during the holidays, so the last two weeks of 2016, to me, were filled with lines of last minute shoppers, tons of wrapping paper price checks, and countless reminders of “I need this on two separate gift receipts, hon.”

Christmas flew by and I could barely take in the fact that a new year was underway. ­The time I didn’t spend in front of a cash register, I surfed through my social media accounts (I’m social media reporter for heaven’s sake) to get an idea of what people were reflecting on 2016 in the masses.

The review was presented by the only logical way to express emotion on the internet–through memes.

Some bode farewell to another year come and gone:

Some were humorous and highlighted THE meme of the year:

Others recognized the artists, authors, and global figures we lost this year:

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Others toned into the reality of the upcoming inauguration of Mr. Trump on Jan. 20th:

The presidential election has consumed the masses of national news media and social media outlets since November 2015. ­While the final meme had no element of surprise, it did have an unsettling effect on me. Now, it’s not my intent to dwell on what has already happened. ­It’s fair to say that 2016 brought quite a bit of uncertainty for our country and illuminated many issues going forward that need attention and repair. However, if I’m to give my two cents on what I would like to see come from 2017, I would say: to remain hopeful.

Alongside the list of memes, I also saw many of my interweb friends post images highlighting their year. ­Everything from images of trips abroad, new cars they’d been saving for; holding a new godson; the adoption of new four-legged family members; gymspiration and appreciation posts; it was a timeline of goals accomplished and happy moments.

And I started to feel hopeful.

Even in the most uncertain times, we must keep up hope. ­Now, if you’ve read some of the other blog posts I’ve submitted, you know I’m not the biggest fan of cheesy lines. ­But I do think that with hope in our minds we can take the step towards overcoming adversity and be reminded of all the good that is to come throughout the year.

So don’t sit still. Do what you love, love who you love, and go out there to obtain your happiness. I am hopeful for us all. And like my fellow “interwebbers” I express my hope the only other logical way I can: