“Don’t Cry Over Spilled Milk”…Looking forward to a great 2026

Someone recently asked me what resolutions I made for 2026. I learned many years ago that I am like the 80% of the people who make resolves that by this time in January they have lost their motivation. So instead of making resolutions, I make plans.

I begin by thinking of all the things I would like to accomplish by December 31st and plan out a program of how those could realistically happen. But to do this effectively, the most important thing I need to do is leave the past year behind. I need to celebrate the good things that happened, and maybe even keep the momentum going. But more importantly I need to review the negative events and leave them behind. Don’t carry them into the new year.

When I was growing up my Irish mother had an expression for everything. When something went wrong that could not be undone, she would say, “Don’t cry over spilled milk.” In simplest terms there’s no use getting upset about something that has already happened and can’t be changed; it’s better to move on and focus on the future rather than dwelling on past mistakes or accidents. The phrase advises against wasting energy on irreversible situations, encouraging a practical, forward-looking attitude instead. Keeping our eyes on the windshield and not the rear-view mirror.

This week last year, I was on a cruise that included a day for me to go to a monkey reserve and enjoy playing with the monkeys. What a fun time. What I did not know was that as I had a monkey sitting on my shoulder and jumping on my head, making me laugh; back at my house a water pipe had exploded that took out two-thirds of my house. Later in the day when my son Facetimed me to inform me of what happened, I had a full range of emotions. Sadness, anger, frustration. But he had arranged for a disaster service to start working on the “mess” and engaged our great employees to give him a hand. And so, things were “under control”.

Nothing I could do until I got home. When I did, I called in the “troops”. Claim adjusters, contractors, decorators, painters, rental agency, family & friends. So I decided that on the following day on the cruise I would go to swim with manatees, an activity that I was so looking forward to and now had no reason to skip. Even after I returned home, I realized that there was nothing valuable about crying over something I could not change. It happened; it was what it was. The focus was to move on from there.

My mother’s words, “Don’t Cry Over Spilled Milk” echoed to me. Accept what I could not change and then recover. All I could do if I spilled milk was clean it up. I had a whole year ahead of me and was not willing to let this one unchangeable thing waylay all my plans for the year. Accept what I can’t change and change what I can. Clean it up.

My plan for 2026 is to move on from 2025, never regretting a day. Grateful for good days that gave me happiness, for bad days that gave me experience, for worst days that taught me lessons, and for the best days that gave me memories.

Let’s all look ahead to 2026 with the resolve to leave the unhappy things behind and be grateful for all the good things that are possible, if we just forget about the “spilled milk” of 2025 and look forward to potential rewards to come in 2026.

Wishing you the best year ever!