September 21, 2025
When I sit down to write, I never quite know what’s going to come out. Today’s Thought of the Day and Question of the Day ended up working together in ways I didn’t expect. That’s the beauty of both, when you expect nothing, you open the door to surprises, and when you look back on what you used to love (fish sticks, in my case), you realize how much you’ve changed. Let’s dig into both and see what they teach us.
Thought of the Day: Expect nothing and you will never be disappointed, but you will often be surprised.
There’s a kind of freedom in lowering your expectations. Not in a pessimistic “everything is doomed” sort of way, but in the sense of loosening your grip on how you think life should go.
When you expect nothing, the little things suddenly feel bigger. The text from a friend you hadn’t heard from in months. The extra five minutes of silence in your house when you thought the kids were going to burst in any second. The random, perfect parking spot in front of the coffee shop. None of those are guaranteed, so when they happen, they’re like a lucky strike extra.
I’ve learned this with parenting too. If I expect my kids to behave perfectly on a long car ride, I’m setting myself up for frustration. But if I expect nothing, just the chaos of Goldfish crackers flying across the back seat, then the stretches of laughter and singing along to silly songs feel like treasures.
It’s not about lowering the bar so you can step over it without effort. It’s about shifting your focus. Let life surprise you.
If you’ve been following my reflections, this thought ties back to one about low expectations, surprise and discovery are baked into life if you’re willing to let them be.
Question of the Day: What’s a food you used to love but now you can’t stand? (Mine: Fish Sticks)
Oh, fish sticks. Once upon a time, they were a delicacy in my childhood kitchen. Crispy on the outside, soft and mysterious on the inside (mysterious because who knows what actually went into them). Dip them in ketchup, and I was in heaven.
Fast forward to adulthood: one bite of a fish stick, and suddenly I’m questioning every life choice I’ve made. The taste is exactly the same, but I’m not. That’s the thing, our tastes evolve.
Maybe it’s because I’ve had real seafood now, and the fish stick just doesn’t hold up. Or maybe it’s because nostalgia tastes better in memory than on the plate. Either way, what I once loved now makes me shudder.
Food has a way of telling us who we were versus who we’ve become. I used to think Lucky Charms was the peak of breakfast cuisine. Now? My stomach begs to differ. Just like expectations, what delights us shifts with time.
And maybe that’s the bigger lesson: we’re supposed to outgrow things. If you still love everything you loved at age 10, you might not have stretched enough. Sometimes growth looks like swapping fish sticks for grilled salmon, or swapping instant ramen for the kind you can’t pronounce but costs $16 a bowl.
Want to read another post where I poked at how our tastes (and tolerances) change? Check out “What Do You Have a Low Tolerance For?”.
Final Thoughts
Today’s Thought of the Day and Question of the Day both reminded me of how much of life is about perspective. Expect nothing, and let life surprise you. Love something, and be okay with letting it go when you’ve outgrown it.
So here’s my challenge for you: What’s your “fish stick”? What’s something you used to love but now you can’t stand? Drop it in the comments—I’m curious.
And if you’d like a daily spark of reflection like this, join my free daily email. It’s one question, one thought, and just enough space to make you pause before the next fish stick comes your way.