For many people, this past year has been, and I’ll put this as delicately as possible, a massive, steaming pile of crap. Or, at least that’s what I’ve gathered from the internet, and I can’t help but agree with that consensus. It’s truly been a garbage year — even outside of the political and pop cultural arenas.

So, I looked for something positive amid disappointment, and to my surprise, I found it in one of my own biggest letdowns for the year: Bernie Sanders.

Sanders has had a cult following for years, but this past election cycle is where his ideas went viral and resonated with people. I wasn’t a member of that cult following, and to be honest, I wasn’t even an early adopter in this election. When my friends felt the Bern, I was still hesitant. But let me tell you, my Bernie Sanders shirt is still one of my most prized articles of clothing.

What makes me feel better about 2016 is witnessing the rise of Bernie Sanders’ political columns. It isn’t even about what he says in his columns, per say, because you know that “break up the banks” will be in there somewhere tucked alongside critiques of the “millionaires and billionaires.” At this point, all my former Bernie Bros are familiar.

The fact that we have these types of voices and ideas resonating is something worth celebrating.

There are many legitimate reasons to fear the amount of uncertainty that comes with a Trump presidency, and for many (myself included), his win served as a much-needed wake-up call. Trump isn’t even president yet, and I’ve seen a vast swathe of people critical of his actions as president-elect.

Do I ever wonder what a Sanders presidency would have looked like? Honestly, no. I try not to concern myself with questions of what could have been, because there are still enough people like him I admire, both in and outside of government, which keep me from giving up hope.