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I went to the gym over the weekend, and the second I walked through the front door, something was off. I go to a very big gym, so there are always people in there moving around. On this day, the people seemed weird and robotic. The lighting seemed more bright. The sound of the treadmills was different.

Then I realized what the problem was: There was no music playing. And the sound coming-out of the speaker system was a low-level bzzzzzz that sounded the hum of an old high school gym’s lighting setup—almost like a medical lab.

I paused for a moment because I realized nothing was actually different except for that sound. The people were the same. The machines were all moving and sounding the same. It’s that that loud, unexpected background noise was flooding into my ears and polluting my whole interpretation of the moment.

That got me thinking back to a recent podcast I was listening to, where the hosts were chitchatting about where their best ideas come from—as in, did they find themselves stumbling upon good ideas in the shower? On walks? When they first wake up in the morning?

One of the hosts then said that he felt like he had less good ideas these days because he found himself constantly looking or listening to something at all times. So he said he puts music on when he jumps in the shower, and he listens to podcasts on walks, and he scrolls on his phone when he lays down at night and when he first wakes up in the morning. Then he said, “I think my output is worse because my input never stops.”

I really had to think about that, because I too enjoy the fact that I almost never am left completely alone with myself. I listen to podcasts, watch TV shows on my phone and scan social media during any break in life. I think it is very cool that in 2026, if you’re sitting in a doctor’s office or at the DMV waiting area, you can entertain yourself and not have to stare off into space getting aggravated that your day is stalled out.

However, the gym scenario and that podcast made me think about the flip side to it, which is that my output is affected by my input. That certainly goes for letting my mind wander and come up with work ideas, or remembering that someone’s birthday is coming up, or a place where I might have left something that has been missing. If I am watching videos of guys blasting airhorns as people tee off at snooty golf courses—a common occurrence, I will admit—there is no space for me to think about how I should tell my wife I was grateful for that dinner she made, or that I haven’t checked in with a work colleague in awhile.

But even more than that, I realize that constant entertainment also deeply impacts my mood and outlook on life. If a terrible world event is happening and I doomscroll about it for the afternoon, you can imagine what it does to my brain. If I go to the gym and blast AC/DC in between football podcasts, I’m enjoying myself but I am also not exactly focused on serenity and being of service to others.

Now, I’m not going to pretend that I am only going to listen to 12-step speaker tapes or self-help books while I am running on the treadmill or laying down for the night. Far from it. But I am going to try to leave space for my brain to just recharge and not be distracted more going forward… but for old time’s sake, here is a link to AC/DC’s “Back in Black” on YouTube. Go ahead and crank that s**t!

This newsletter is a place of joy and laughter about the deadly serious business of sobriety. So, as I will often do, let me close with a joke:

Desperate, a drunk goes into her doctor’s office and pleads, “Doctor, doctor, you’ve got to help me! I can’t keep my hands from shaking.”

“How much do you drink?” asks the doctor.

“Not much at all,” she answers. “I spill most of it.”

(Credit: AA Grapevine, December 2001, Dave S. from Ithaca, New York)

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