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a promise loud in January and missing by February, the ghost of better intentions

means A firm decision to do or not do something, or the act of settling a problem, dispute, or question with finality.

from From Latin 'resolutio,' the act of loosening or untying, from 'resolvere' — 're-' (back) plus 'solvere' (to loosen, release, dissolve, the same root that gives us 'solve' and 'solution'). The original sense was literally a coming-apart: dissolving something into its parts. From there it drifted toward the mental act of breaking a hard question down until it 'resolved' into a clear answerand finally toward the firm-minded decision you reach at the end of all that loosening. So your January vow shares a bloodline with melting and dissolving, which feels about right for February.

survival rateabout 80 percent abandoned by mid-February
ancient rootsBabylonians made them 4,000 years ago
screen meaningalso pixel count deciding how sharp things look
quitter's daysecond Friday of January, when most fold
legal sensea formal vote settling an organization's decision
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