December 19, 2025
December has a way of making time feel both heavy and slippery. Days stack up quickly, but somehow everything still feels unfinished. Maybe that is why this quote caught my attention today.
Thought of the Day
“The end of the year is neither an end nor a beginning, but a going on.” – Hal Borland
Hal Borland nailed something I have felt for years but never had language for.
December pretends to be a finish line. Calendars run out of squares. Apps ask us to review our year. Conversations drift toward what comes next. There is pressure to close loops, tally wins, name failures, declare intentions.
But life rarely cooperates.
Most of what matters does not end neatly on December 31. Relationships do not reset. Habits do not politely wait for January. Worries do not check the calendar before showing up. And the good stuff does not stop just because the year is running out of ink.
Borland’s idea of a “going on” feels more honest.
It suggests continuity instead of closure. Motion instead of milestones. It reminds me that most of us are not standing at the edge of something new or the door of something finished. We are just in the middle. Still figuring things out. Still carrying things forward. Still adding and subtracting in small, imperfect ways.
That framing softens December for me.
It takes the edge off the pressure to summarize myself. I do not need to decide what this year meant in order to keep living. I do not need a theme or a takeaway. I can just keep going. Paying attention where I can. Letting some things drift. Holding onto others a little tighter.
A “going on” does not need a conclusion. It only needs presence.
Question of the Day
What’s your favorite way to spend an unplanned hour?
This question landed gently for me, maybe because unplanned hours are rare. Most of my time has a job. Even rest gets scheduled. Free time comes with expectations attached.
But every once in a while, an hour opens up unexpectedly.
A meeting ends early. A plan falls through. A quiet pocket appears in the day without asking permission.
Those hours feel different.
Sometimes I waste them scrolling and regret it immediately. Sometimes I overthink them and end up doing nothing. But every now and then, I stumble into something that feels right without effort.
Reading without checking the clock. Walking with no destination. Sitting somewhere familiar and letting my mind wander. Cleaning one small thing slowly instead of tackling everything. Listening to music I did not know I needed.
The question is not about productivity. It is not even really about preference. It is about noticing what your nervous system reaches for when no one is watching and nothing is required.
I do not think there is a correct answer. Some people want quiet. Some want movement. Some want company. Some want to be left alone completely.
This one feels especially fitting near the end of the year. Not because it asks us to change anything, but because it asks us to notice what already brings us back to ourselves.
If you feel like sharing, I would love to hear how you spend that unexpected hour. And if you want these questions delivered quietly to your inbox each morning, you can join the daily email.
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