When I sit down to write the Thought of the Day and Question of the Day, I try to make sure I’m honest, reflective, and at least mildly entertaining for anyone brave enough to read these words before they’ve had their morning coffee. Today’s pair hits on two sides of the same coin. The Thought of the Day warns us about the mental garbage we keep calling nourishment, and the Question of the Day calls out a different kind of garbage some people play on the radio every December. Both show how good we are at convincing ourselves that something awful is actually fine. Today’s Thought of the Day and Question of the Day give us a chance to call that out, clean it up, and maybe even laugh about it.
Thought of the Day: Don’t lick the bottom of the dumpster and call it food
Let’s not pretend we haven’t all done this, metaphorically speaking. You pick up some old belief from a childhood moment that stretched longer than it should have, or an offhand comment someone flung at you when they were having a bad day, or a fear you’ve carried around so long you assume it must be true because it’s familiar. And then you take that crumb covered in mental filth, lift it to your mouth like it’s a delicacy, and say, “Yes, this is who I am.”
Meanwhile, your actual life is waiting at the table with fresh bread, clean plates, and the good silverware.
This Thought of the Day is a reminder that you do not have to keep ingesting the ideas that poison you. You do not have to accept the voice that tells you you’re behind, or not enough, or too much, or too late. Those thoughts are old leftovers from a dumpster someone wheeled out behind the building. They are not the truth.
I have learned this lesson the same way I learn most things. The hard way. Usually at night, usually after staring at the ceiling, usually after realizing I once again convinced myself something was a fact simply because I had repeated it enough times.
The older I get, the more I realize that the most dangerous lies are the ones I tell myself quietly. And the most important work is noticing when my brain is trying to serve me a meal straight from the dumpster and having the confidence to say, “No thanks. I’ll eat something real today.”
Question of the Day: What is your least favorite holiday song?
Let’s be honest. There are some holiday songs that feel like they were created specifically to test human endurance. The holidays are supposed to be a time of joy, family, and cookies that never turn out the same way twice, even though you swear you followed the recipe word for word. But holiday music? Holiday music is a mixed bag.
My personal contenders for Worst Song Ever Played in December come down to two choices.
Dominic the Donkey
and
Little St. Nick by The Beach Boys
And look, I love a good donkey as much as the next guy. But something about that “hee haw hee haw” makes my soul shrink just a little. And “Little St. Nick”? The part of me that grew up loving The Beach Boys feels betrayed every time it comes on. It’s like your favorite uncle showing up at Christmas dinner with a new haircut and a bad attitude and insisting it’s still the same vibe.
What I’ve realized is this. Our least favorite holiday songs often reveal the things we have the least tolerance for in everyday life. Repetition. Forced cheer. Noise that fills space without adding anything to it. Which brings us right back to today’s Thought of the Day. Don’t eat mental garbage. Don’t listen to musical garbage either. Sometimes you need to switch the station or step away entirely.
If you want a deeper dive into how I handle seasonal chaos, you might enjoy a post where I wrote about being kind to yourself.
Your Turn
Drop your answer in the comments. What holiday song makes you immediately reach for the skip button? And if you enjoy thinking a little deeper each day, sign up for the free daily email where I send out the Thought of the Day and Question of the Day straight to your inbox. One minute a day. A lot of reflection. Zero dumpster licking.
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