August 20, 2025
Every day I share a Thought of the Day and a Question of the Day, and today’s pairing is a little eerie but also funny if you lean into it. The Thought of the Day and Question of the Day both center around the strange power of whispers and the unsettling things we sometimes imagine in ordinary places. Let’s unpack both and see how they connect to real life moments.
Thought of the Day: Don’t scream at people. Lean in and whisper it to them. That’s much more terrifying.
There’s something about a whisper that cuts deeper than a shout. Screaming is easy to dismiss, people tune it out, throw up defenses, and walk away. But whispering? That gets under the skin.
I remember as a kid when my dad wanted to make sure I really listened, he’d lower his voice. Suddenly I’d lean in, hanging on every word. It wasn’t scary, but it was powerful. Contrast that with middle school gym teachers who barked orders until their voices went hoarse—I don’t remember a word they said.
Whispers work because they’re intimate. They bypass the noise and land right in your ear, like they were meant only for you. That intimacy can inspire connection, or if twisted, it can unsettle. It’s why in scary movies, the whisper is often more haunting than the scream.
This thought reminds me of when I wrote about how “Fear has many eyes and can see things underground.”—it’s the quiet echoes that stay with us, not the loud bangs.
Question of the Day: What’s the creepiest thing you could whisper to a stranger on an elevator?
Elevators are already slightly uncomfortable, small talk is awkward, silence is worse, and everyone is watching the glowing numbers like they’re our only hope of escape. Add a whisper into that mix, and you’ve got instant nightmare fuel.
If I had to pick the creepiest thing to whisper, I might go with: “Don’t worry, it doesn’t hurt for long.” That’s the sort of thing that would make someone mash the “door open” button with both hands.
Of course, some people would go the absurd route. Imagine someone leaning in and whispering: “I ate the last Pop-Tart.” Not scary, just… unsettling in the wrong context. It reminds me of when I asked, “What’s the scariest movie you’ve ever seen, and what made it so frightening?” because sometimes fear is about setting, not substance.
On the flip side, whispers can be funny or even kind, depending on the words chosen. A whisper can change the entire mood of a moment. That’s the power, and danger, of how we use our words.
Final Thought
Both the Thought of the Day and Question of the Day show how whispers carry weight—whether they connect, unsettle, or amuse. They remind us to pay attention not just to what we say, but how we say it.
What about you? Drop a comment with your creepiest (or funniest) elevator whisper idea, I’d love to read them. And if you want these daily questions and thoughts in your inbox, join the free email list. It’s like a whisper that shows up every morning, minus the creep factor.