Being home has opened my eyes to some things that I want to start in the new year: appreciating the little things. In the words of middle school me, "knowing that was one of the small little blessings God has placed upon you for the day." I don't know about any of you, but I know I struggle with remaining optimistic. I naturally have a negative outlook on life and relationships in general, so realizing blessings, even the small ones, is a challenge for me.

As I write this, I am currently "helping" my daddy fix our screen door. Since I'm writing, I bet you can guess how much help I'm being. But I can't help it, I had to write down how I feel in this moment: positive about my future. I'm smiling as my dad is having words with a door and is getting frustrated, but as I'm growing to realize: I don't know how many moments I have left of this, of spending time with dad or mom at home and helping fix things that need it.

So, I've decided my New Years resolution is to have a more positive outlook on my world. I've been in a dark place for a little over a year and I'm done letting that darkness take roots in who I am. I don't know about you, but recently, I've been forgiving myself. I've screwed up a lot in the past, but I'm deciding that today, I am forgiving myself. I am choosing to look on the bright side of life, and for me, that's going to be difficult. But when is change not? To quote Jeremey McCarter's Hamilton: The Revolution, "The past places no absolute limit on the future."

You've got to move on and stop letting the past define you, and my thought is, why not start with the little moments we have everyday. The past defines our character, yes, but we have a choice everyday to either become the events that shaped us, or live in spite of them and choose joy. Like fixing a broken screen door, we all have our flaws, but with the help of people you love (or our Father) you can swing correctly on your hinges once again.