Corner to Corner
Diane Denish is a former lieutenant governor of New Mexico. She is a native of Hobbs and now lives in Albuquerque. Reach her at diane@dianedenish.com
Happy New Year! After a brief respite, I’m back at my keyboard and looking forward to sharing more thoughts, ideas, and facts with you in 2026. I hope you also had the chance to recharge, reflect, and think about the year ahead—to push the reset button.
Speaking of reset buttons, isn’t that one of the reasons we make New Year’s resolutions?
Most of us are familiar with the usual list. After a holiday season that often involves a little too much eating and indulgence, many people see the New Year as a chance to set short- and long-term goals. Millions resolve to lose weight or exercise more. That’s a good thing.
The end of the year is also a time when people look for new challenges. Some resolve to find a new job, go back to school, or ask for a raise. These resolutions reflect our desire to grow, improve, and move forward.
Others focus on breaking bad habits, quitting smoking, cutting back on screen time, or reducing alcohol consumption. Writing these intentions down or saying them aloud can be a powerful step toward changing behavior and setting healthier boundaries.
Then there are resolutions aimed at improving our emotional and personal lives. These might include spending more time on relationships: making time for family, reconnecting with old friends, or nurturing new friendships. This kind of commitment takes real effort—sometimes as much work as finding a new job—and while it can occasionally feel one-sided, it is often deeply rewarding.
Some people resolve to keep learning. That might mean expanding reading lists, taking a class to learn a new skill, or volunteering to better understand the needs of their community. These challenges keep our minds engaged and broaden our perspectives.
So why am I talking about New Year’s resolutions—many of which readers have likely made (and remade) over a lifetime, me included? It’s simple: I’ve been thinking about my own resolution for the coming year.
The past year in our country has been marked by chaos and turbulence—rising prices, aggressive immigration enforcement, and norms and institutions turned upside down. For many, this has created a sense of insecurity and hopelessness. As I’ve tried to navigate that uncertainty, I’ve settled on a resolution that may sound abstract but feels urgent to me: to be more hopeful.
That’s not as intangible as it may seem. Pulitzer Prize–winning author Nicholas Kristof often reminds us that “hope is a muscle—and it needs to be exercised.”
In politics, we often hear that “hope is not a plan.” Kristof and others would argue otherwise. Hope is not soft or sentimental. It is resilient. It is stubborn. And when exercised, hope inspires action in ways we might not have imagined. A resolution of hope only works when paired with action.
We’ve seen that happen recently. Neighbors have acted to protect communities from overreach by ICE officers and policies that violate constitutional rights. Rather than being silenced, many have grown louder and more organized.
Here in New Mexico and other energy-producing states, farmers, ranchers, tribal communities, and local energy producers joined forces to push back against proposed rollbacks of methane emission standards—standards that protect public health and the environment. Their collective action delayed rollbacks and generated legal challenges to the EPA.
New Mexicans have also banded together to resist expanded federal leasing on public and sacred lands. Coalitions of small businesses, tribal entities, ranchers, and farmers turned the hope of protecting public lands into tangible action.
As 2026 gets underway, I’m looking forward to living out my resolution of hope—and finding concrete ways to act on it. That might mean writing, joining a protest, contacting members of Congress, or simply staying engaged in new ways.
Maybe you’ll consider adding a resolution of hope to your own New Year’s list. It’s one that strengthens more than just our resolve—it’s good for the soul.
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