In today’s Thought of the Day and Question of the Day post, we’re diving into the uncomfortable and oddly freeing space between opposing views. That space in the middle? It’s not just empty air. It’s where real understanding can happen. This post explores what it means to hold space for both sides of an argument, and the surprising benefits of changing your mind (yes, even about chocolate pudding).
🪙 Thought of the Day: Even the two sides of a coin have space in the middle.
We tend to live in a world of hot takes, hard lines, and hashtags, Team This or Team That. But this little phrase reminds me that even the most rigidly opposing sides have something in common: space.
That space in the middle? It’s often ignored. Dismissed as indecision. But it’s where curiosity lives. It’s where we ask, “What don’t I know yet?” or “Could we both be a little right… and a little wrong?”
I’ve had conversations where I was so sure I knew the whole truth until I shut up long enough to listen. Sometimes that listening didn’t change my conclusion, but it always expanded my understanding. It’s humbling. And occasionally, it’s hilarious. Like the time I argued for ten minutes that tapioca pudding was the superior dessert, only to remember I’d never actually tried it.
The world is not binary. People are not coins. But this metaphor reminds me that flipping a situation over still doesn’t reveal everything. That hidden space in the middle is where empathy, nuance, and chocolate pudding live.
If this thought speaks to you, you might also like this post about how rest isn’t laziness or this one on changing your inputs to change your mind.
🤔 Question of the Day: What’s something you’ve changed your mind about after hearing “the other side”?
Most of us aren’t dying to be proven wrong. We double down, dig in, build entire personality traits around our “take.”
But every now and then… someone makes a point that actually lands. And it rattles around just enough to make a dent in the certainty.
For me? I used to think dessert was a special-occasion indulgence. Birthday cake, holiday pie, wedding cookies earned, not expected. Then I heard a friend say she eats chocolate pudding three times a week because life is short, and joy doesn’t need a reason. Reader, I changed my mind.
Now I stock pudding cups like most people stock batteries.
It made me realize: not all shifts have to be seismic. Some of the most profound mindset changes come in quiet moments. Listening to someone explain why they don’t drink, or why they started meditating, or why they left a job they were “supposed” to love.
That shift toward understanding? It usually starts with hearing “the other side” and thinking… huh. Maybe.
Want more prompts like this one? Check out this question about what sound you look forward to each Spring or this one about the scariest movie you’ve ever seen.
🗣 Your Turn
What’s something you changed your mind about after hearing another perspective? Drop it in the comments. Or if you want a daily nudge like this in your inbox, sign up for the free daily email below.