Dec 23rd – Tomorrow Eve, Intentionally

The “Eve”—the day when sunset tells us that tomorrow is something special like Christmas Eve or New Year’s Eve. We prepare ourselves in the evening for the day to follow. We set our sights on celebrations and gatherings, gifts and greetings. These preparations remind us that our intentions are what set joy in motion.

Today being the last Winter Solstice Day of 2025, we take a moment to gather our intentions as well as our good wishes for friends and family. We are hoping to find our better selves in the upcoming year, so this is the moment to set our intentions. We ask ourselves, "Who do I want to be a year from now? How do I want to show up in the spirit of collaboration or as conflict unfolds?"

We find it’s helpful to remember that who we can be is largely dependent on who we spend our time with. If we find ourselves surrounded by angry, violent people, then we will find anger rising to the surface along with violent impulses. Have you noticed that when one person in a room begins to see all the awful things in a situation, others follow suit? But rising discontent can be met with creative resolve and turned from simmering rage to addressing harms, not repaying harm with harm. If we have chosen to be in communities compassion and justice, then we will find our capacity to act compassionately grows stronger.

There are practical ways to do this, even as anger grows around us. We hear from people near and far that they are rationing the news they listen to and read. They are staying abreast of what’s happening, but they are not steeping themselves in the anger and hopelessness. This is one example of intending to be one’s better self. These friends are directing their gaze upon what needs to be done, staying informed, and acting, but they are not allowing themselves to drown in despair.

So this year, we offer you the practice of Winter Solstice Intentions. Take the time between now and the New Year to write down the practices that you can adopt to build your capacity to engage conflict with clarity and build collaborations with passion. These will be your 2026 intentions and they will guide you as you seek your way in the coming year.

If we are to discover pathways to justice and community, we must be grounded in one another’s well-being. And more than that, we must know how to nurture our own strengths and values. We must choose our path to our best self even as we support the people around us in becoming their best selves. This is one way to heed the call to a life of presence.

May the New Year, with lengthening days and prospects for growth and community, bring you contentment in how you live each day, knowing you are intentionally being your very best self. And that is good enough indeed!