In Barbara Kingsolver's book, The Bean Trees, the characters get into a discussion about which they like more, sunrise or sunset. One of the characters argues that the beginning of each day is better because there's always the hope that one can accomplish everything on the to-do list that day, whereas, by nightfall, we know what we didn't get done. I like the hopefulness of sunrise and think about it as analogous to the beginning of each new year.
The day this post goes live is the end of 2025, which was a rough one for me and for the world. But the end of 2025 is also, obviously, the beginning of 2026. At the beginnings of years, many people make resolutions for what they plan to do differently the following year. I've been thinking about the word "resolution," which has a lot of meanings:
- a firm decision to do something
- the quality of being determined
- the action of solving a problem
- the process of reducing something or separating it into its component parts
- the smallest interval measurable by a scientific instrument
- the conversion of something abstract into another form
While the first definition looks forward, all of the others seem to be about what has already happened or resolved. I don't want to think about what has already been completed, so instead of thinking about resolutions for 2026, I'm contemplating intentions.
I know that I'm an English teacher and writer, so I spend more time and energy thinking about words than most people do (or want to), but please hear (read) me out because I think the distinction here is worthy of consideration. I think the reason so many people fall short of their resolutions is in the word itself. If I resolve to do something, and I miss an opportunity to do it, I've already failed. On the other hand, if I have an intention to do something, and I miss a day or two, I still have that intention. I can keep coming back to my intention as my goal. Having an intention is like naming my WHY, which I try to do every week right here on the website. A WHY can serve as a reminder; it can help right the ship when the winds blow it off course.
Am I making sense? What are your intentions for 2026? Please share any intentions or other responses to this post in the comments.
Why the antipathy to thinking about what has already been done? Seems that character would be happier if at sunset she could reflect on what she accomplished that day instead of on what she didn’t.
That’s absolutely right. It’s the difference between a to-do list and a ta-dah list. Both are necessary and helpful. Maybe we should spend every 12/31 thinking about the year in review and every 1/1 thinking about what we hope/plan to be able to put on the ta-dah list for the next 12/31.
Are we allowed to enjoy both sunrise and sunset? My daily calendar is filled with intentions and a few resolutions. I over intend, but I know I’m doing it. Sunset is a time to move the unresolved intentions to the next day’s calendar and pat oneself on the back for having accomplished anything. Then again, that’s all a little easier when one is optimistic and retired!
It has taken me years to be okay with not completing everything on my to-do lists. Yes, I like both the possibilities that each new days brings and the sense of accomplishment at the end of the day, knowing either that I tried or that I succeeded. Optimistic and still working is not bad either!