October 29, 2025
Sometimes life presents us with a simple choice: comfort or authenticity. That’s what today’s Thought of the Day and Question of the Day both circle around, in their own slightly spicy ways. Henry David Thoreau reminds us that solitude and simplicity might beat popularity and pretense, while the great modern debate of pumpkin spice asks us just how much we’re willing to buy into a seasonal trend that’s more “spice” than “pumpkin.”
Let’s carve this one open.
🧠 Thought of the Day: “I would rather sit on a pumpkin and have it all to myself, than be crowded on a velvet cushion.” — Henry David Thoreau
Thoreau had a knack for saying the quiet part out loud, literally. The man built a cabin in the woods and decided the best neighbors were probably trees. His pumpkin-vs-cushion metaphor isn’t about gourds or upholstery; it’s about choosing authenticity over appearance.
I think we all have our “velvet cushion” moments, those shiny, impressive things that look great on the outside but feel crowded, fake, or performative on the inside. Maybe it’s a job that looks perfect on LinkedIn but drains your soul. Maybe it’s a relationship that photographs beautifully but feels hollow when the camera’s off. Or maybe it’s just the way we sometimes post the highlight reel instead of the messy, beautiful, real stuff.
I’ve learned that the pumpkin, rough, imperfect, and a little lumpy, is usually where peace lives. It’s quiet there. You have room to breathe. Nobody’s elbowing you for space. You can actually hear yourself think. And maybe that’s the real luxury, having enough stillness in your life to notice what matters.
As I get older, I care less about the velvet cushions and more about the view from the pumpkin. The older I get, the more I realize that solitude isn’t loneliness, it’s clarity.
If you liked this reflection, you might enjoy reading “When the Person You Could Have Been Meets the Person You’re Becoming”, where I wrestled with self-honesty and growth, or To go wrong in one’s own way is better than to go right in someone else’s.
🎃 Question of the Day: What are your feelings on “Pumpkin” Spice?
Let’s get this out of the way, there is no pumpkin in pumpkin spice. It’s cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and marketing genius. Somewhere along the line, the pumpkin became the mascot for a flavor that doesn’t even need it.
Now don’t get me wrong, I’m not above a Pumpkin Spice Latte once a season. It’s basically fall in a cup, and sometimes you need that. But I’m also not one of those people who’s lining up in August, ready to trade my dignity for a sprinkle of nutmeg foam.
I barely like pumpkin pie, and that’s with actual pumpkin in it. So the idea that I’m supposed to crave pumpkin-scented everything, candles, cereal, and probably deodorant at this point, feels like Thoreau’s velvet cushion all over again. It’s comfort for comfort’s sake. It looks cozy, but it’s kind of hollow.
What pumpkin spice really represents, though, is nostalgia. It’s the smell of sweater weather, of first fires in the fireplace, of the quiet pause before the holiday chaos begins. Maybe that’s why it hits people so hard, not because of the taste, but because of the feeling it triggers. Even cynics like me aren’t totally immune to that.
So maybe pumpkin spice isn’t really about the flavor. Maybe it’s about reminding ourselves that seasons change, and we get to, too.
If you want another autumn reflection, check out “What’s the Worst Thing About Autumn?” Is it pumpkin spice?
💬 Your Turn
Do you lean more toward Thoreau’s pumpkin or society’s velvet cushion? And where do you stand on pumpkin spice, seasonal delight or overhyped blend of chaos and cinnamon?
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