Woke up this morning feeling kinda bleh, you know? Just one of those days where everything seems a bit off. Remembered those fortune cookie horoscope things people talk about online for a quick pick-me-up. Figured, why not give it a shot? Worst case, it’s just silly fun.

Getting My Hands Dirty

First thing, I needed fortunes. Didn’t have any actual cookies lying around, obviously. So, I dug into this old shoebox where I stash random stuff – receipts, loose change, yeah, that kinda junk. Found a crumpled brown bag tucked in the corner. Bingo! Inside were like, three broken fortune cookie slips. Must’ve kept them from some takeout months back.

• Slip 1: “Today brings unexpected joy.”
• Slip 2: “Your creativity solves a problem.”
• Slip 3: “A small step leads to big progress.”

Alright, not exactly Shakespeare, but it was something. Decided to treat these like my “daily horoscope reading.” Grabbed my coffee, sat down before the chaos of the day could really kick in.

The Actual “Reading” Part

Honestly felt a bit awkward at first. Just staring at these slips on my kitchen table. Took a slow sip of coffee, really looked at them one by one. Didn’t try to force any deep meaning. More like, I just pondered how each one could maybe fit my day.

“Unexpected joy”? Okay, maybe the commute would be smooth for once? Or maybe that boring meeting gets cancelled? “Creativity solves a problem”? Had a tricky work thing brewing… thought maybe approaching it differently might actually help. “Small step leads to progress”? That one kinda hit home. Felt stuck on a personal project. Maybe tackling just one small task would get the ball rolling.

Didn’t meditate or anything fancy. Just sat there for maybe five minutes, letting the words bounce around my head while the coffee kicked in. Wrote the three fortunes down in my notebook real quick.

The Weird Part

Here’s the thing. It wasn’t magic, obviously. But starting my day looking for the possibility of good things felt… lighter? Like setting a tiny intention. Instead of mentally listing all the garbage waiting for me, I was primed to notice little moments.

Guess what? Totally forgot about the meeting, which did get cancelled – minor “unexpected joy.” That work problem? Ended up sketching an idea on a napkin during lunch, a different angle (“creativity”). And that personal project? I sent one email – a genuinely “small step,” but it started a conversation I’d been avoiding. Felt like progress.

Would I Do It Again?

Yeah, actually. It’s dumbly simple. Cost zero money. Took maybe ten minutes total, including finding the slips. It didn’t change my life or predict the future. But it shifted my starting mood from “ugh” to “huh, maybe.” Just focusing on potential positives for a hot minute felt way better than doom-scrolling news headlines with my coffee. Gonna fish out those slips again tomorrow morning. Need more? Guess I gotta order Chinese soon!