The world throws a lot at us—noise, nonsense, and people who cut in line at the grocery store like they’re auditioning for a villain origin story. In today’s Thought of the Day and Question of the Day, we look at how we can respond to that chaos with a little more grace, and maybe a little more chamomile tea.
Today’s post unpacks a quote by Carl Hiaasen that reminds us we have the power to subtract negativity from the world, not just absorb it. And then we wind things down with something much more personal: what happens after you brush your teeth (assuming you do). Your nighttime routine might say more about you than you think.
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🧠 Thought of the Day:
“Always aspire to act in a way that cancels out someone else’s cruel or stupid behavior.” — Carl Hiaasen
This quote feels like a modern superpower: being the counterbalance to someone else’s mess. You know the type—someone cuts you off in traffic and flips you the bird, or a stranger leaves a mean comment online just because they can. Hiaasen’s advice isn’t to rise above it with smug detachment. It’s to actively do something that offsets the damage. Like when someone’s rude to the barista and you make a point to be extra kind. Or when your kid sees a parent yelling in the parking lot and you use it as a teachable moment by holding the door open for someone else.
It’s not about being perfect or performative. It’s about creating a little ripple that cancels out the worst parts of someone else’s day. Your behavior, believe it or not, becomes a form of cleanup duty. It’s not glamorous, and it rarely gets applause. But it counts.
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🌙 Question of the Day:
What is your nighttime routine?
Most of us aspire to have a soothing, screen-free, lavender-scented bedtime ritual. But in practice? It’s often more like doomscrolling until our phone falls on our face.
That said, routines matter. They’re signals to your brain that it’s okay to shut down, that the to-do list can wait until tomorrow, and that you’re allowed to rest without guilt. My routine lately? It starts with making sure the kids are actually asleep, not just pretending. Then I watch the weather on the nightly news (even thought I can look it up on my phone) while writing the daily post, and then I do about 10 minutes of yoga (because it helps me run around with my 3 very young children)
There are other things I stopped doing a few months ago that I really want to get back to doing, but for now this routine is working. Even thought I’m not in my ideal routine right now, closing the day with intention helps me make peace with whatever the day threw at me.
💬 Share Your Thoughts
What’s one way you’ve “canceled out” someone else’s bad behavior lately? And what’s something in your nighttime routine that genuinely helps you unwind?
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