Learning New Things in 2026

In my last Substack article, I talked about my feelings about New Year’s resolutions and how I don’t make New Year’s resolutions, but try to be a good person every day and set some, maybe, new goals for the new year. Within those goals I try to find new activities to learn and grow as a person.

One of my new projects is to learn how to play the game of Mahjong. I started to learn towards the end of 2025, but it came in fits and starts, and I only sort of got off the ground with it. I decided it would be really a fun game to truly learn, and so with a group of friends who are going to join me on the adventure, I am looking forward to playing this game. The little bit I know is so much more complicated than I could have imagined, so I think it will be not only fun to learn but a good exercise for my mind! And it’s also a win because I get to spend time with people that I care about, and that I don’t always get to spend enough time with.

During Covid, I had started to bake sourdough bread, but then my sourdough starter died, and I decided not to try again for a while. Then in 2025, my oldest son got some sourdough starter from a friend, and he shared some of it with me and my daughter. I started baking bread again, and I have named my new sourdough starter Seymour, because it needs to be fed all the time or it won’t make it! In 2026 my goal is to continue this bread baking journey and to expand my horizons. I’ve always been a baker, but never really made bread, and my renewed interest in the sourdough baking has led me to want to expand my horizons into trying to make different loaves and different varieties.

Another area that I am exploring is composting. I have been gardening for quite a while, but I decided that I would not only garden, but try my hand at this science to compliment that. I feel like it is not only good for the environment, and but also good for the soil in my garden, so 2026 is my exploration into this, too.

One other thing I am toying with is trying to relearn a foreign language. I took four years of French in high school and three semesters of Spanish in college. I am sad to say that I really don’t know much of either anymore although quite honestly, I understand a lot more than I can speak. I am thinking that I would like to try to start with relearning Spanish for very many reasons. While I was an English major in college and used that education to become a lawyer, and have always enjoyed writing, I find foreign language is much tougher for me. So it’s with a little trepidation that I consider relearning Spanish. Although at least this time, I don’t have to worry about a bad grade! But I suppose I do have to worry about unintentionally saying the wrong thing!

So well, I’m sure other things will crop up this year. These are the goals on my current wish list. I hope I have the ability and time to stick with these choices! And hopefully I’ll still be writing my Substack so I will report back in December, and will let you know of my, hopefully, good progress in these endeavors!