As we slide—okay, tumble—toward the end of 2025, I’ve decided to get a head start on my resolutions for 2026. I’m giving myself plenty of runway because it may take the rest of the year to figure them out…and knowing me, they’ll be edited, redrafted, and mildly fussed over before midnight on New Year’s Eve. Change, after all, has never been shy.
But here’s the truth:
I am absolutely worn out from the negativity, the meanness, the scams, the shouting, and all the messy, hurtful nonsense that seems to be sprinkled around like confetti these days. It’s exhausting, isn’t it?
I’m just one woman. My team is small. My counseling practice is small. The Guardian’s Gift Time Capsule is still a best-kept secret. None of us are the size of an army—and yet, I’ve decided that won’t stop us from trying to bring something better into the world.
So here it is, said out loud and shared with you:
I—and we—are going to keep showing up as loving, kind, thoughtful humans and businesses. Imperfect? Absolutely. But intentional.
Maybe I can do one more thing for someone.
Maybe I can take one extra step toward compassion.
Maybe I can set down my urge to fix everyone else’s flaws and instead deal with the log in my own eye (it’s a hefty one).
Because the truth is, people are hurting. In Butler Counseling, I sit with people who are grieving, anxious, overwhelmed, or fighting to communicate with the people they love. In The Guardian’s Gift, I walk alongside families trying to navigate the complexities of legacy, aging parents, “Who’s doing what?” and “How are we going to manage all of this?”
And let’s be honest: Aging is not for the faint of heart.
The creaks, the cracks, the aches, the scams, the endless calls pretending to be the IRS, and the uncomfortable reality that we have more days behind us than ahead—it’s a lot. And that fear and frustration too often spill over onto the very people we love most.
So here’s my first official resolution for 2026:
I’m choosing kindness—on purpose.
One more step.
One more gentle word.
One more moment of letting someone go ahead of me in line (even when I’m tired and want to go home).
More hope.
More patience.
More softness.
More love.
We will keep thinking on the rest of our resolutions until New Year’s Eve. We want to choose wisely. But this feels like the right place to begin.
Dr. Judy H Butler, PsyD, Founder/CEO
Amanda Baldwin, Legacy Coach
Natalie Ross, Legacy Coach
Yonnie Butler, VP
Jordan Henderson, VP
Karen Al-Chacar, Marketing Consultant
Tiffany Garrison, Marketing Consultant
