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Thursday, November 12, 2026Nov 12

Dear Abby: New decade brings positive resolutions for happy future

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DEAR READERS: Welcome to 2020! The New Year has arrived, and with it our chance for a new beginning. May 2020 bring with it good health, peace and joy to all of you. – LOVE, ABBY

Today we have an opportunity to discard destructive old habits for healthy new ones, and with that in mind, I will share Dear Abby’s often-requested list of New Year’s Resolutions, which were adapted by my late mother, Pauline Phillips, from the original credo of Al-Anon:

JUST FOR TODAY: I will live through THIS DAY ONLY. I will not brood about yesterday or obsess about tomorrow. I will not set far-reaching goals or try to overcome all of my problems at once.

I know that I can do something for 24 hours that would overwhelm me if I had to keep it up for a lifetime.

JUST FOR TODAY: I will be happy. I will not dwell on thoughts that depress me. If my mind fills with clouds, I will chase them away and fill it with sunshine.