The Thought of the Day and Question of the Day That Explain Why We Learn and Why We Settle Into Comfort

November 13, 2025

Some days the Thought of the Day and Question of the Day feel like they are telling two completely different stories. Today, though, they link up in a way I didn’t expect. One points out how stubborn we can be when it comes to learning lessons. The other reminds us that comfort doesn’t have to be fancy or logical. It just has to be ours. This post brings those ideas together in all their honest, slightly embarrassing, quietly comforting glory.

Thought of the Day

“There are three kinds of men. The ones that learn by reading, the few who learn by observation, and the rest have to pee on the electric fence for themselves.” Will Rogers

Whenever Will Rogers opens his mouth, I brace myself for a truth I’m not entirely ready for. This one lands especially hard because I can see exactly where I stand in this hierarchy. And unfortunately, it’s not always the group that learns by reading.

Some days I’m proud of myself. I pick up a book. I take notes. I absorb a lesson before the world has to knock on my door and teach it to me the messy way. But then there are the moments when the universe whispers don’t touch that and I decide well maybe it’s different for me. Spoiler alert. It is never different for me.

That third category is a club none of us want to belong to, but if we are being honest, we have all visited. No membership fee. Just a few bruises, a few regrets, and a few stories you don’t tell until enough time has passed that you can laugh without cringing.

The middle group, the observers, are the ones I admire most. They watch someone else make the mistake and immediately calibrate their life choices. They see you grab the metaphorical electric fence and they think you know what, I don’t need to test that. Incredible humans. Rare. Possibly mythical.

Still, I think most of us cycle between all three groups depending on the week, the topic, and how much sleep we got. Nobody is purely a reader. Nobody is purely an observer. And nobody is purely a fence toucher. The trick is paying attention to the patterns so you at least avoid repeating the same mistake with more enthusiasm the second time around.

If today’s reflection speaks to you, you might also like it’s better to trip with your feet than the tongue, or even seeing the world in a grain of sand.

Question of the Day

What is the most unexpectedly comforting thing in your home?

I love this question because it reveals small truths about us. Not the curated truths. The real ones. The private ones. The ones that don’t make it onto Instagram but still earn a daily moment of appreciation.

My answer surprised me when I said it out loud.

It’s my fountain pen.

Not the expensive kind. Not the collector kind. Just the one that sits on my desk every day, waiting patiently like a loyal dog. Something about the weight of it in my hand settles me. The smooth pull of the nib across paper feels like a deep breath for my brain. I use it to write notes, to scribble down ideas, to cross out ideas, to turn messy thoughts into something that makes sense.

It is not flashy. It is not essential. No one would ever walk into my house, point at it, and say wow, that must be comforting. But it is. It grounds me. It reminds me I can slow down. It makes writing feel like a conversation instead of a race. And on days when everything feels chaotic, that tiny ink trail feels like control.

That is the magic of unexpected comfort. It hides in plain sight. It is personal. It is often small. It is rarely logical. But it matters.

Maybe your comfort is a blanket that has survived twelve different eras of your life. Maybe it is a kitchen drawer that closes with a satisfying click. Maybe it is a plant that refuses to die. Or a lamp that casts a warm glow. Or the chair that squeaks every time you sit in it but somehow feels like home.

Comfort is never about the object. It is about the feeling it unlocks. A reminder that your home contains pieces of you scattered everywhere, and some of those pieces are trying to take care of you even when you are not paying attention.

What is the most unexpectedly comforting thing in your home? Tell me in the comments. I would love to know what small, quiet thing in your world makes you feel a little more grounded. And if you want the Thought of the Day and Question of the Day delivered to your inbox every morning, join the free daily email and start your day with something meaningful.