Every year I end up making a new years resolution. I am truly not sure why I do this as I am more than likely going to abandon my efforts toward a “brand new me” by January 2nd, if I eve last that long! This year my goal is to eventually ween myself off soda. I know what you are thinking, “But Dustin, 4 liters of soda a day is by no means excessive!” And I would have to agree with you, but some “experts” out there are claim that soda taken in the quantities I imbibe might have some slightly adverse health effects. Who really needs a kidney, I ask you? But seriously, it will be a challenge for me, because they are not easy. If they were easy, then everyone would be doing it and we would in fact achieve world peace. We all know that just isn’t going to happen anytime soon. So if we are doomed to failure, why do we try? Because we all want to be our best and we all believe in our ability to become our ideal selves. We all want a fresh start. There are many moments in my past that I wish I could go back and rewrite of simply eliminate. But they thing I have to remind myself is that I am who I am today because of all of those moments, good and bad, great and small. And I need to accept the creation I am right now, because God has been working a good long time to get me to this place. This place is also just a necessary stepping stone to the future he has in store. I need to accept my yesterdays with as much fervor as a chase after my tomorrows. So that is what I wish for you in this new year. Sure, if you want to try and work out more or be nicer to your little sister, I respect that too. But most of all I want you to embrace the beautiful creation you are today, right now and to love yourself as much as your father in heaven above loves you.