As another year begins, many of us felt the familiar pull to make resolutions, to do more, be better, fix what feels broken. But for those of us working with older adults, families, and communities through increasingly complex and challenging times, the traditional New Year’s resolution can feel hollow or even exhausting.
What if, instead of resolving to do something new, you gave yourselves permission to ask something new?
Why do questions matter, especially now? We are living and working in a moment marked by political, economic, and social upheaval. The work of COA directors and staff has always required resilience, creativity, and compassion, but the pace and weight of the challenges can feel relentless. So, sitting with a question, rather than racing toward a solution can shape us in meaningful ways. Rushing to an answer can minimize the gravity of the uncertainty we’re feeling. Questions, on the other hand, ask us to pause. They invite reflection. They create space for discovery, and engaging with open-ended questions can help us reconnect to our sense of purpose and can be grounding.
Consider carrying your question with you throughout this year, these are not questions meant to be answered quickly, they are questions meant to be companions something you return to during long days, difficult decisions, or moments of doubt, as well as moments of joy. You may find that your question evolves, it may need refining or deepening and that is ok, as a good question is alive.
We can also learn from the asking of the question, we learn about letting things emerge, moving with curiosity rather than grasping for the first answer that offers relief. We may also learn that discovering an answer only to realize it no longer fits is not a failure, it’s learning. Carrying a question with you this year may point you to new ways of serving, new partnerships, new boundaries, or renewed clarity about what matters most in your work and your life.
So, I invite you, as we move into 2026, a year that will undoubtedly bring both challenges and powerful moments of renewal, to consider setting aside resolutions that demand more from you and instead choose a question. Let it walk alongside you. Return to it when you feel depleted or uncertain. Notice what it helps you see that you hadn’t seen before.
You don’t need the answer right now. What matters is what begins to emerge in you, as you keep asking.
Wishing you peace in 2026,
Betsy
