February '26 Edition - Communication
Small moments, noticed along the way
Here’s how February unfolded, one day and one reflection at a time…
I didn’t go into this month with a theme in mind. It was a simple exercise in noticing things and writing them down. Something I heard in a rowing or cycling class. A line from a podcast. A quote from a book that stuck with me. Looking back, a lot of it circled around communication, though not in any structured way. Just in the everyday sense of how we talk, listen, pause, and sometimes don’t say the thing at all.
I finished reading Talk this month, and as someone who tends to be a bit too socially conscious about how I speak, a lot of it resonated. My biggest takeaway was how much lighter conversations can be when we stop trying to get them “right.”
I also came across this quote in the book, which led me to add East of Eden to my reading list:
“Now that you don’t have to be perfect, you can be good.” — John Steinbeck
As always, this is a simple practice of paying attention. Not trying to force a message or a takeaway. Just showing up, noticing what stays with me, writing it down, and carrying it into the next month.
2/1 (#216):
While walking our dog, a dad and his son were playing basketball in our neighborhood. The dad’s T-shirt read:
“Nobody is coming to save you.”
At first, it felt heavy. I wasn’t sure what to make of it. But the more I thought about it, the more it felt honest.
We’re supported. We’re loved. Still, the first step is always ours.
And somehow, that doesn’t feel lonely. It feels like freedom…
2/2 (#217):
Heard in a cycling class this weekend: “Make it your own ride.”
A gentle reminder to find our own lane and rhythm as we begin a new week and a new month.
“Try not to become a person of success, but rather try to become a person of value.” — Albert Einstein
2/3 (#218):
Some days, all I need is some loud music to find my silence…
“Silence is not the absence of something, but the presence of everything…
It is the presence of time, undisturbed.” — Gordon Hempton
2/4 (#219):
Heard on the news yesterday that marketers are now saying practicality is “in.”
It made me wonder: when was it ever “out” to begin with?
Being real is what lasts.
“It is always the simple that produces the marvelous.” — Amelia Barr
2/5 (#220):
I was listening to this week’s Hidden Brain podcast episode about “revealing secrets.” My big takeaway was this: in the short term, even if we may regret some of the things we say, in the long run, the pattern reverses. We tend to regret more the things we never said.
Researcher Leslie John shared this from Bronnie Ware’s book “The Top Five Regrets of the Dying”:
1. “I wish I’d had the courage to live a life true to myself, not the life others expected of me.”
2. “I wish I hadn’t worked so hard.”
3. “I wish I’d had the courage to express my feelings.”
4. “I wish I had stayed in touch with my friends.”
5. “I wish that I had let myself be happier.”
Four out of five are about things we didn’t do and wish we had.
A good reminder not to wait. To live a little more openly today.
2/6 (#221):
“The best preparation for tomorrow is doing your best today.” — H. Jackson Brown, Jr.
Small steps. Honest effort. One day at a time.
2/7 (#222):
From my cycling class:
“Put your mind to it. And you can get there.”
No presumptions. No expectations. Just showing up and doing the work.
“Do what you can, with what you have, where you are.” — Theodore Roosevelt
2/8 (#223):
I heard on a podcast that “social computation is predictive.” It made me wonder, are we echoing the same voices over and over again?
“The measure of intelligence is the ability to change.” — Einstein
Maybe it’s a reminder to welcome more perspectives into our conversations…
2/9 (#224):
“As long as you believe in yourself, anything is possible.” — Sam Darnold (Seahawks QB)
“We believe in each other. We love each other.” — Mike Macdonald (Seahawks coach)
After the big Super Bowl victory, Congratulations to the Seattle Seahawks on a well-deserved win.
Respect to all the players, and to the 12s for showing up loud and proud. 💚
2/10 (#225):
“People are the destination.” — Toyota Super Bowl ad
Who matters more than where…
2/11 (#226):
I’ve been noticing how feedback can trigger a quick guarded response in me. Often in small, subtle ways. A quick defense or a rushed explanation.
“Between stimulus and response, there is a space. In that space is our power to choose our response.” — Viktor Frankl
Learning to pause long enough to find that space today, and choose from there…
2/12 (#227):
Yesterday I listened to a podcast with Allison Wood Brooks, author of “Talk.” She described conversation as a kind of meta coordination game. I’d never thought about it that way.
She frames TALK as an acronym:
T - Topics. Choosing them carefully and managing them moment by moment.
A - Asking. Better, deeper questions.
L - Levity. Warmth and humor, because boredom quietly kills conversation.
K - Kindness. Respectful language, receptivity to opposing views, and real listening.
When we talk, we’re constantly adjusting. Reading tone. Interpreting pauses. Guessing what’s meant but not said. Co-creating meaning in real time.
“Good communication is as stimulating as black coffee, and just as hard to sleep after.” —Anne Morrow Lindbergh
Food for TALK today.
2/13 (#228):
I was watching the series “The Big C” and came across this line:
“Nobody has all the time in the world.”
“Time is what we want most, but what we use worst.” — William Penn
For all the unsaid things. Today, not later.
2/14 (#229):
Started reading “Talk” and came across this idea: that every conversation carries a purpose. Otherwise, it wouldn’t happen at all.
I’m not quite sure how to digest that yet.
“Pray don’t talk to me about the weather, Mr. Worthing. Whenever people talk to me about the weather, I always feel quite certain that they mean something else. And that makes me quite nervous.” — Oscar Wilde
Somehow, this makes a case for it though.
2/15 (#230):
sharing doesn’t always require someone else to receive it.
“Love does not consist in gazing at each other, but in looking outward together in the same direction.” — Antoine de Saint-Exupéry
2/16 (#231):
Came across this yesterday:
The meaning of life can feel like small talk when spoken flatly. Even a conversation about a cold pancake can feel meaningful when talked about with a little fizz.
It isn’t the topic. It’s the emotion we bring to it.
“The heart has its reasons which reason knows nothing of.” — Blaise Pascal
2/17 (#232):
Came across this Scottish saying yesterday:
“Whit’s fur ye’ll no go by ye.”
(What’s for you won’t go by you.)
I’ve heard versions of this across cultures and languages. A reminder to keep walking, do the work, and loosen our grip on the fear of missing out. What’s meant for you has a way of finding you…
2/18 (#233):
Came across this quote in a book yesterday:
“The main hope of harmony in our troubled world lies in the plurality of our identities.” — Amartya Sen
A reminder this morning that we are not monolithic beings, and that understanding begins when we make room for that complexity in ourselves and in others…
2/19 (#234):
“The single biggest problem in communication is the illusion that it has taken place.” — George Bernard Shaw
A gentle reminder this morning: words may be exchanged, but real communication asks for attention, patience, and care…
2/20 (#235):
“I want to be the most human I can be.” — Stephen Colbert, in his interview with Anderson Cooper.
Not to be the best human, but the most human… Embracing the flaws, the imperfections, and showing up as honestly as we can. Carrying this with me today.
2/21 (#236):
From yesterday’s cycling class: “Keep the pedals moving.”
This easily applies to more than just cycling…
“Life is like riding a bicycle. To keep your balance, you must keep moving.” — Albert Einstein
2/22 (#237):
Read this yesterday:
Repetition makes things more memorable.
Repetition makes things more memorable.
“Repetition is the mother of learning, the father of action, which makes it the architect of accomplishment.” — Zig Ziglar
2/23 (#238):
Heard this yesterday: “Overthinking is not the same as understanding.”
Sometimes it helps to step back and notice not what we’ve done, but what we’re still reaching for.
“To understand the heart and mind of a person, look not at what they have already achieved, but at what they aspire to.” — Khalil Gibran
2/24 (#239):
Read this yesterday in the book ‘Talk’:
“No single motive is universally good.
No single emotion is inherently virtuous.
No identity is superior to another.
No position on any issue can be known or proven with absolute certainty.”
Note to self for today: listen more, assume less, stay open.
2/25 (#240):
Read something yesterday that I found interesting:
A good life might be more than the two pillars we often hear about:
hedonic well being (happiness, positive affect, and life satisfaction) and eudaimonic well being (meaning and purpose).
It also makes a case for a psychologically rich life, one shaped by diverse, interesting experiences that change how we see the world.
“Experience is not what happens to you; it is what you do with what happens to you.” —Aldous Huxley
Today’s reminder: open our eyes a little wider to new experiences…
2/26 (#241):
Yesterday’s rowing class reminder:
“The name on the front of the jersey matters more than the name on the back.”
We before I.
2/27 (#242):
From this week’s Hidden Brain podcast episode:
“Mattering” may be one of the most important elements of our self concept. To believe that another person cares about what we want, think, and do, or is concerned with our fate, is to matter. That is how Maurice Rosenberg defined it.
“There is no greater agony than bearing an untold story inside you.” — Maya Angelou
Stories may not need an audience. Just someone who matters..
2/28 (#243):
From the cycling class yesterday:
“Mountains are our greatest teachers. They mirror the attitude we bring to the climb.”
They remind us that effort and rest both matter equally.
Push too hard and we burn out.
Pause too long and we lose momentum.
“It is not enough to be busy. So are the ants. The question is: what are we busy about?” — Henry David Thoreau
I'm grateful that you posted your daily thoughts of February in one larger post. It's like a full satisfying meal instead of a light snack. Though, keep the snacks coming!
What a great round-up -- it's complete total mindfulness throughout the month. I think that's pretty fantastic, and your intention to focus on the "wellness hundred" takes a great deal of fortitude, staying power, and intent to make that happen. Proud to have you as one of our newest Road Feast posse members, VJ. Looking forward to seeing what other gems you uncover in your daily explorations. :) - Seth ✦