Every day, I post a Thought of the Day and Question of the Day—a pairing that’s become a little ritual for me. Some days, they’re deep. Some days, they’re ridiculous. And some days, they accidentally unlock something I didn’t know I needed to hear. Today’s thought is one of those.
We’re talking about happiness, success, and—yes—a cabinet most of us ignore unless we’re storing shame or expired crackers. Let’s get into it.
Thought of the Day:
“Happiness must happen, and the same holds for success: you have to let it happen by not caring about it.” — Viktor E. Frankl
Ah, Frankl. No one cuts to the core quite like a Holocaust survivor-turned-psychiatrist. His point is deceptively simple: the more you chase happiness or success like they’re keys you lost in the couch cushions, the more elusive they get.
We’ve all had that feeling—trying to “optimize” our joy, productivity, goals, schedules, and grocery lists. (If my happiness just hits 85% today, I’ll earn my Trader Joe’s dark chocolate peanut butter cups!) But the truth is, the good stuff tends to sneak up on us when we stop white-knuckling the steering wheel.
I’ve had some of my happiest moments during the in-between times: standing barefoot in the kitchen with my kids yelling in the next room, laughing with my wife over something stupid, or getting an unexpected message from an old friend. None of those were on my to-do list, and yet there they were—tiny victories I didn’t plan for.
Frankl reminds us that chasing happiness makes it run faster. Living with purpose, doing what matters, and being present… those are the open doors happiness walks through uninvited.
For more on chasing the wrong goals, check out this post about games not worth winning or this one about pulling people from the river vs. fixing the problem upstream.
Question of the Day:
What do you store in the cabinet over your fridge?
No one is storing everyday essentials up there. That cabinet is a tribute to forgotten ambitions and oddball appliances.
In mine? A pressure cooker and a meat slicer.
Now, let me explain. The pressure cooker gets used maybe once a year, when I decide I want some homemade chicken soup. The truth is, I used it a lot more when I was single. And the meat slicer? I think it was a wedding gift. If we moved it to a different cabinet, we might remember we have it and use it more.
That cabinet is like a time capsule. What’s up there says more about you than you think. It’s the physical version of “I’ll totally use this someday.” And it’s not just about storage—it’s about identity. Who we once thought we’d be. Who we might still become. Who we’re totally not.
Next time you reach up there, take a minute to reflect. Not just on your questionable appliance choices, but on how much space you’re giving to ideas and expectations that don’t serve your daily life anymore.
Another fun post in this spirit: What’s circling the drain the fastest in your life?
Join the Conversation
What’s in your cabinet over the fridge? Be honest—we’re all friends here.
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