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Your cat isn’t lying on your laptop just to annoy you
Start with monk wisdom, add an aging crisis, finish with cat logic. Happy Friday.
Greg Sullivan
September 25, 2026 • Est. Reading Time: 4 minutes
“So full of artless jealousy is guilt,
It spills itself in fearing to be spilt.”
― William Shakespeare
Happy Friday. We’re ending the week with an ancient monk’s surprisingly useful advice for handling the moments when life goes sideways, followed by Annie Reneau answering a question of equal importance: Why does your cat insist on lying directly on the thing you are trying to use?
Well-being
A tiny morning mindset check could change what happens when your day goes sideways.
Picture this: You’re holding a cup of coffee, someone bumps into you, and suddenly your shirt is wearing breakfast. Why did it spill? The obvious answer seems to be “because someone bumped me.” But an old monk’s lesson says that’s not really the answer. The answer is, the cup spilled because it was full.
As Mark Wales reports, mindset coach Rob Dial uses that little coffee catastrophe to explain what tends to surface when life gives us a shove. The bump might be unavoidable, but what comes spilling out is another story. It’s a surprisingly practical cousin to the idea that resilience is less about “bouncing back” and more about how we carry hard experiences forward.
Dial’s suggestion starts before the inbox, traffic, forgotten password, or mysterious kitchen spill gets involved. It’s a simple morning question about what you’re bringing into the day, and research suggests practices like mindfulness can help shape that answer.
Amy Beaucham spotted this handsome critter as she was leaving her home in Lake Maxinkuckee. “As you may know, red foxes have acute hearing and can pinpoint tiny animals moving beneath tall grass or even snow,” she adds. I did not know, but know I do and I love it!
Do you have a GOOD picture to share?
Send us your best images, and we may feature them as the image of the day. Be sure to tell us a bit about your pic.
How many toes does a typical cat have?Go ahead. Count the beans. |
Yesterday's Results
In yesterday's issue, we shared why Boomers love using ellipses in texts.
And we asked: Which bit of punctuation do you abuse most in texts? 49% of you chose exclamation points!!! Somewhere, a group chat is judging us all.
Ellipses... (31.2%)
Exclamation points!!! (48.8%)
I've discovered the em-dash and I'm addicted (7.6%)
Punctuation is optional (12.4%)
GOOD reader Gail made her case the only way she knows how. “Rather than continue with additional information that seems obvious to me, I will just ...” Say no more, Gail. Say no more...
Generations | Courtesy of Upworthy
 | ||
Gen X is trying to come to grips with getting ‘old.’ It’s not going well. | ||
We are NOT prepared for Salt-N-Pepa to be played in the doctor’s office waiting room, thankyouverymuch. | ||
By Annie Reneau | ||
The thing about Gen X being in our 40s and 50s now is that we were never supposed to get “old.” Like, we’re the cool, aloof grunge generation of young tech geniuses. Most of the giants that everyone uses every day, Google, Amazon, YouTube, came from Gen X. Our generation is both “Friends” and “The Office.” We are, like, relevant, dammit. | ||
And also, our backs hurt, we need reading glasses, our kids are in college and how in the name of Jennifer Aniston‘s skincare regimen did we get here? | ||
It’s weird to reach the stage when there’s no doubt that you aren’t young anymore. Not that Gen X is old (50 is the new 30, you know) but we’re definitely not young. And it seems like every day there’s something new that comes along to shove that fact right in our faces. When did hair start growing out of that spot? Why do I suddenly hate driving at night? Why is this restaurant so loud? Does that skin on my arm look…crepey? | ||
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Society
This story was written with a cat lying on my left hand.
Anyone who works from home with a cat knows the score. The laptop opens, and before you can even load your document, a warm, indignant body has claimed the keyboard as its own. For years the going theory was simple. The cat is a jerk.
Well, it’s not quite that simple. In this story by Mark Wales, veterinarians and animal behavior experts lay out a more nuanced case. Cats chase attention because whatever earns a reaction tends to get repeated. They chase warmth, since a laptop runs hotter than most napping spots. They chase curiosity, locking onto whatever has stolen their human's focus. All true, and all only part of the picture.
Then the research turns stranger and a good deal sweeter. One animal psychologist points to a habit that has nothing to do with heat or boredom, and a study out of Tokyo uncovered a skill most owners would never guess their household companion possesses. Together, they suggest your keyboard squatter isn't plotting against your productivity at all. It's doing something quietly devoted, and once you know what it is, the interruptions get a lot harder to resent.
Who’s a GOOD boy/girl?
Image of the Day has its own lane, but the pet pics keep arriving, and I am not made of stone. So every Friday, I’ll share one reader-submitted photo of a favorite pet. Want yours featured? Send it along.
GOOD reader Lianne Thompson sent in this dolfol image that would get a treat out of me every… single… time. Who could resist those eyes? I also got the whole glorious name: Oliver Riggsby Wyatt, aka Riggsby. Perfect.
On September 25, 1974, surgeon Dr. Frank Jobe performed an experimental operation on Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Tommy John, whose damaged elbow ligament was widely considered a career-ending injury. By replacing the ligament with a tendon from elsewhere in John’s body, Jobe pioneered a procedure that allowed John to return to the majors and pitch for another 14 seasons, and would later save or extend the careers of generations of athletes.
Do you have something GOOD to share?
We’re always on the lookout for uplifting, enlightening, and engaging content to share with readers like you. If you have something you think should be featured in the Daily GOOD, let me know!
💬 From the group text…
Come, learn great science facts with Chops, the scholarly cat!
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Until next week, remember, I don’t make typos. But I do have a cat that loves my keyboard so if you ever see l;kasdj its not my fault ldhn ; lakshe ; ;laksdf;lakjdslkskksd skskskkskkkkkkkkk