New Beginnings in 2026

Esther’s writing prompt: December 31, 2025: New Beginnings

Click here or here  to join in.

I’ve stopped making New Year Resolutions. According to Psychology Today 80-90% of New Year Resolutions fail. However, I still have goals and wishes for the new year. Instead of making promises I try to make changes at my own pace. One of them is that I’ve started using the Peloton bike that we bought for my wife. Another is trying to adapt to my new role as a grandfather. Our first grandchild Jack was born at the end of September 2024. Yet another new beginning is that I want to focus slightly more on my relatively new blog superfactful that I started in August of 2024. In 2024 I posted 25 super facts and in 2025 I posted 53. I also made 64 other kinds of posts on this blog. I am hoping to one day to have collected 200 super facts. My hope is that I will post 80 super facts in 2026. Let’s see how far I get.

New Beginnings the Peloton Bike

My wife and I bought a Peloton bike a couple of months ago. It was my wife who was the most interested in it but lately I’ve been trying it out as well. I found that this is an excellent way of getting some exercise. A Peloton bike is an internet-connected stationary exercise bike featuring a large touchscreen that streams live fitness classes led by instructors. You select your level, time and your instructor and press start.

The photo shows a black bike with a large touchscreen.
Our Peloton bike. The large touch screen is on the right in the photo compared to the rest of the bike.

I usually pick the same class as my wife does. It is the beginners class with Emma. You follow her instructions and you increase/decrease the speed and resistance. Emma does the same thing as you do, you follow her, she is encouraging and she plays great music for you as you do the exercises. It is almost like having your personal trainer. I know these are prerecorded classes but yesterday when my speed / cadence dropped below the goal, Emma told me, “Let’s try to keep the cadence above 80”. This happened twice giving me the feeling that the class was live. It is an entertaining way of exercising that I hope I will continue doing throughout 2026. Perhaps not every day, but I want to do it often. It is a new beginning for me, a new exercise beginning.

A woman in an exercise outfit is looking straight ahead out from a touchscreen also featuring numbers and information.
Emma is looking out from the touch screen, telling you what to do.

New Beginnings Our First Grandchild

Our oldest son Jacob and his wife Ashley live in Baltimore, Maryland, and their son Jack is three months old. We’ve visited a few times, and we are soon going back there, and they (Jacob, Ashley and Jack) are coming to visit us in February. Being a grandfather is a new role for me that I am going to have to learn. It is a New Beginning for me. You can read more about our latest trip to Baltimore here.

Ashley is holding 3 months old Jack and they are both smiling big.
Jack with his mother Ashley
My wife Claudia is holding Jack, and she is holding a bottle of milk for him.
My wife Claudia is feeding Jack
A photo of the three of us sitting in the sofa. Baby Jack is sitting on the right. He is wearing a Pajamas.
My wife Claudia is on the left; I am in the middle and Jack is on the right.

New Beginnings for Super Facts

In August of 2024 I started a second blog, superfactful. The goal of this blog is to create a list of facts that are important, not trivia, and that are known to be true and yet surprising, mind-blowing, shocking or disputed by large segments of the public. I am avoiding click bait and focusing on facts that will challenge the reader as well myself in a way that provides growth. Below are a few examples.

The Speed of Light In Vacuum Is a Universal Constant

Superfact 4 :

The speed of light in vacuum is the same for all observers regardless of their speed and the direction in which they are going. It is always c = 299,792,458 meters per second. If you try to catch up to a light beam and travel close to the speed of light the speed of the light beam will still be c = 299,792,458 meters per second compared to you. This is possible because time and space don’t behave like we expect.

The picture shows two people Alan and Amy. Alan is on the ground. Amy is flying by Alan in a rocket speeding left. Both Alan and Amy are pointing lasers to the left.
In this picture Amy is traveling past Alan in a rocket. Both have a laser. Both measure the speed of both laser beams to be c = 299,792,458 meters per second.

Global Warming is Happening and is Caused by us

Superfact 25: Global warming or if you call it Climate Change or Climate Disruption is happening, and it is happening very fast, and we also know that it is caused by us primarily as a result of our burning of fossil fuels. There is a long-standing scientific consensus on these two facts because the evidence is conclusive. Check the evidence below.

Hockey stick curve going back 1,000 years. The recent uptick in global temperature is very sharp and very sudden.
The so-called hockey stick curve depicting the last 1,000 years. The blue line is the first hockey stick curve ever created (by Michael Mann). He used proxy measurements such as tree rings, green-dots 30-year average, red temperature measurements. This graph is taken from this page.

Infinities Come in Different Sizes

Super fact 67 : Infinities come in different sizes. Some infinities are larger than others. In fact, it is possible to create an infinite number of different-sized infinities. Some infinities are countable and others are uncountable.

A neon infinity metaverse symbol. 3D illustration.
Infinity Asset id: 2118543950 by Sahara Prince

There are 78 super facts so far. I am hoping that my increased focus on this blog will lead to another 80 this year. It will be a New Beginning. To see a list of the 78 super facts and the next 72 I’ve planned click here.

My Other Responses to Esther’s Prompts

May you all have a great 2026 and a New Beginning

Unknown's avatar

Author: thomasstigwikman

My name is Thomas Wikman. I am a software/robotics engineer with a background in physics. I am currently retired. I took early retirement. I am a dog lover, and especially a Leonberger lover, a home brewer, craft beer enthusiast, I’m learning French, and I am an avid reader. I live in Dallas, Texas, but I am originally from Sweden. I am married to Claudia, and we have three children. I have two blogs. The first feature the crazy adventures of our Leonberger Le Bronco von der Löwenhöhle as well as information on Leonbergers. The second blog, superfactful, feature information and facts I think are very interesting. With this blog I would like to create a list of facts that are accepted as true among the experts of the field and yet disputed amongst the public or highly surprising. These facts are special and in lieu of a better word I call them super-facts.

44 thoughts on “New Beginnings in 2026”

  2. A very Happy New Year to you and your family, Thomas! It seems you’ve more than made up for giving up New Year’s Resolutions with terrific goals for each year. Your new blog sounds fascinating and written with the non-tech person in mind but one who is still interested in these things! Awww ..congratulations on your first grandchild and how exciting. I bet it’s a role you easily slip into and how amazing to be a grandparent. A great response to Esther’s New Beginnings and such positive ones too!

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    1. Thank you so much for your very kind words Annika. It will be a new and very exciting experience being a grandfather. I am learning a lot from my blog as I have to hunt down these facts and verify their vericity online and in books unless I already know them.

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

  6. Lulu: “You look very happy there visiting baby Jack! I love babies too, of any species, on account of I am a Mama Dog.”Charlee: “Our Dada doesn’t make those New Year’s resolutions either, and neither do we. Although in our case it’s because we are cats and we’re perfect.”Chaplin: “He does say it’s good to have something like that bike to use! He has got a rowing machine which he is very good about using it. Apparently he thinks it helped him not die and stuff that one time …”

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    1. Thank you so much Lulu, Charlee, and Chaplin. I love babies and puppies and kittens. You are right Charlee, you cats are perfect so you can’t improve on anything. Helped him not die is definitely a plus.

      Like

      Reply

  9. Your new beginnings post was fun to read. Your facts are interesting too. When you say “US” as the cause of climate change I hope you are including all of humankind. Since we in the US are the second largest CO2 emissions country there are things we can do. However until other countries come into line very little will change. China has the largest share of CO2 emissions at over 30%. The world should be putting pressure on them to make improvements.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    1. Yes with “us” I mean humankind. I used lower case and I did not consider it could be misunderstood as “US” as in United States. But it is good that you pointed it out. You are right. Everyone needs to contribute to lower emissions (and/or capture emissions).

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

  12. Being a grandparent is wonderful. Our grandson lives 2,000 miles away, but we’re grateful for the luxury of visiting every few months, and he stays on the phone for a short time when we FaceTime our son. I’ve never tried Peolton, but I have friends who love it. I typically ride the exercise bike, among other things, at the gym. My body only tolerates three times a week because I need a day in between to recover.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    1. 2,000 miles is further than our 1,366 miles but they are both long distances. We also try to keep in contact using phones, etc., but it can’t beat in person meetings. It is great that you go to a gym. That is a little bit of a bigger of a committment than have a Peloton bike at home. If regularly go to a gym you are certainly doing great. I certainly agree, being a grandparent is wonderful. Thank you Pete.

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply
  13. Pingback: A New Beginning Opening a Pet Treat Bakery – Leonberger Life
  19. Pingback: Writing Prompts – Esther Chilton

Leave a reply to Lynette d'Arty-Cross Cancel reply