Valley residents’ plans for 2026 aren’t all resolutions

Many plan to stick with what has been working for them.

As the calendar turns, the pressure to reinvent ourselves often turns with it.

For some, the new year is about starting over — setting goals, breaking habits and chasing change.

But the new year isn’t always about what needs a refresh. Some things are worth holding onto.

Across the Mon Valley, residents are choosing to carry forward the routines, mindsets and connections that already work.

Rather than resolutions, these reflections focus on what people want to take with them into 2026.

For some, what they’re keeping starts first thing in the morning before the day gets loud, plans pile up or the year asks anything of them.

In Elizabeth Township, Missy Haney begins each day grounded in gratitude.

“Everyday I wake up with gratitude and a positive attitude,” she said. “This mindset has served me well and gets me through each day, no matter how big or small of an obstacle that may try to get in my way.”

It’s not something she’s trying to improve or replace. It’s something she relies on, day after day.

That sense of pace also matters to Samantha Gazda of West Newton, who is intentionally holding onto slow mornings as the year turns.

“It’s so easy to get in a rush with the way life tends to be,” Gazda said. “One thing I value is slow mornings.”

She isn’t someone who jumps straight into the day. Instead, she gives herself time to wake up, enjoy her morning coffee and let the day begin without pressure.

“I give myself enough time to stop and just let the day start on its own,” she said. “I let my mind lead me to where it needs to be.”

That pause helps her appreciate how far she’s come before plans, stress, or daily struggles take over.

“Life is too hard to let the hassle bury you,” Gazda said. “It’s important to hold onto the good.”

She hopes that approach is something she can carry with her long-term — and eventually give to the next generation.

“Starting each morning off slow and taking everything in is one of my favorite things,” she said. “I hope to pass that onto my children.”

For others, what they’re carrying into the new year isn’t about preference, but perseverance.

Rachel Simon of Rostraver Township enters 2026 anchored in determination, something she’s relied on since suffering a hemorrhagic stroke.

“I will be carrying over my perseverance into 2026,” Simon said.

Along with a positive attitude and faith, that perseverance has guided her recovery.

“Without my perseverance and faith, I would not be able to heal my mind and body,” she said.

For some, the new year is less about the individual and more about staying connected.

Belinda Bartko plans to continue attending church, something she considers essential.

“I’ll be maintaining my church attendance,” Bartko said. “Our church family is very important to us, and we miss them if we don’t show up even if we watch the livestream.”

Being physically present matters to her.

“We all need that fellowship,” she said.

That sense of connection is something Amanda Santoro of North Charleroi worries is slipping away.

She hopes to hold onto family, neighborhood and community traditions — the kinds of gatherings she remembers but sees less of now.

“I feel in the past few years that not a lot of people and communities do that,” Santoro said. “You don’t hear about big family reunions or the big community gatherings in small towns.”

She said fewer shared spaces exist for children, and while events like firemen’s fairs still happen, “it’s almost gone … not like there used to be.”

For Santoro, holding onto tradition isn’t about nostalgia. It’s about keeping communities from drifting further apart.

While these voices offer a small glimpse of how people across the Valley plan to step into the new year, they reflect a shared instinct: carry forward what feels steady, because not everything needs to change.