<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?><rss xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/" xmlns:content="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/content/" xmlns:atom="http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom" version="2.0" xmlns:itunes="http://www.itunes.com/dtds/podcast-1.0.dtd" xmlns:googleplay="http://www.google.com/schemas/play-podcasts/1.0"><channel><title><![CDATA[The Circle Of Freethinkers]]></title><description><![CDATA[A gathering place for people who refuse to sleepwalk through life. If you’ve ever felt the quiet whisper that life could be deeper, freer, and more meaningful — you’re in the right place. Pull up a chair.]]></description><link>https://www.thecircleoffreethinkers.com</link><image><url>https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!4RSS!,w_256,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F82047f72-f22d-47cd-a6d2-96b101fc6a6b_1200x1200.png</url><title>The Circle Of Freethinkers</title><link>https://www.thecircleoffreethinkers.com</link></image><generator>Substack</generator><lastBuildDate>Tue, 08 Sep 2026 10:50:03 GMT</lastBuildDate><atom:link href="https://www.thecircleoffreethinkers.com/feed" rel="self" type="application/rss+xml"/><copyright><![CDATA[Mike Messeroff, The Carpe Diem Company LLC]]></copyright><language><![CDATA[en]]></language><webMaster><![CDATA[thecircleoffreethinkers@substack.com]]></webMaster><itunes:owner><itunes:email><![CDATA[thecircleoffreethinkers@substack.com]]></itunes:email><itunes:name><![CDATA[Mike Messeroff]]></itunes:name></itunes:owner><itunes:author><![CDATA[Mike Messeroff]]></itunes:author><googleplay:owner><![CDATA[thecircleoffreethinkers@substack.com]]></googleplay:owner><googleplay:email><![CDATA[thecircleoffreethinkers@substack.com]]></googleplay:email><googleplay:author><![CDATA[Mike Messeroff]]></googleplay:author><itunes:block><![CDATA[Yes]]></itunes:block><item><title><![CDATA[Effortless Magic]]></title><description><![CDATA[What one unforgettable memory revealed about joy&#8212;and sharing it]]></description><link>https://www.thecircleoffreethinkers.com/p/effortless-magic</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.thecircleoffreethinkers.com/p/effortless-magic</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Mike Messeroff]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Thu, 03 Sep 2026 10:44:07 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!k1WX!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F597148b4-5ab2-4530-802e-067e9709fa30_1200x630.png" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!k1WX!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F597148b4-5ab2-4530-802e-067e9709fa30_1200x630.png" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!k1WX!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F597148b4-5ab2-4530-802e-067e9709fa30_1200x630.png 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!k1WX!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F597148b4-5ab2-4530-802e-067e9709fa30_1200x630.png 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!k1WX!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F597148b4-5ab2-4530-802e-067e9709fa30_1200x630.png 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!k1WX!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F597148b4-5ab2-4530-802e-067e9709fa30_1200x630.png 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!k1WX!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F597148b4-5ab2-4530-802e-067e9709fa30_1200x630.png" width="1200" height="630" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/597148b4-5ab2-4530-802e-067e9709fa30_1200x630.png&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:630,&quot;width&quot;:1200,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:1262118,&quot;alt&quot;:null,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/png&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:false,&quot;topImage&quot;:true,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:&quot;https://www.thecircleoffreethinkers.com/i/213918701?img=https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F597148b4-5ab2-4530-802e-067e9709fa30_1200x630.png&quot;,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!k1WX!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F597148b4-5ab2-4530-802e-067e9709fa30_1200x630.png 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!k1WX!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F597148b4-5ab2-4530-802e-067e9709fa30_1200x630.png 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!k1WX!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F597148b4-5ab2-4530-802e-067e9709fa30_1200x630.png 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!k1WX!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F597148b4-5ab2-4530-802e-067e9709fa30_1200x630.png 1456w" sizes="100vw" fetchpriority="high"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg aria-hidden="true" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><p><span>&#8220;Do you realize what we just discovered?</span></p><p><span>This is a revelation.</span></p><p><span>Rich, this is amazing.&#8221;</span></p><p><span>He looks at me and smiles. &#8220;I know.&#8221;</span></p><p><span>Just a few minutes earlier, a wavy waft of smoke slowly exits my lips. Greens and purples fulfill their purpose then dissolve into the humid air surrounding us.</span></p><p><span>The vast sea, its lapping waves, and miles of shoreline to one side&#8230; a small house surrounded by trees, grass, and a blazing campfire to the other.</span></p><p><span>It&#8217;s a barren beach paradise fit for kings and castaways alike on Costa Rica&#8217;s Pacific coast, and our glasses clink as we toast to this moment.</span></p><p><span>All there is.</span></p><p><span>And what a moment this is.</span></p><p><span>Places like this still exist.</span></p><p><span>Moments do too.</span></p><p><span>The sun dipped below the horizon.<br>Clouds became a canvas of oranges and pinks.<br>Stars started to shine.<br>Monkeys howled in their tree homes just a stone&#8217;s throw away.<br>Butterflies fluttered by.<br>Stray dogs stopped for scraps.<br>And even a herd of cows sauntered by without a care.</span></p><p><span>Then Rich, eyes wide and peaceful, shared something I&#8217;ll never forget.</span></p><p><span>&#8220;I know I can&#8217;t relive it,&#8221; he said, &#8220;but I always come back to one memory.</span></p><p><span>One moment.</span></p><p><span>Dancing in the mist.<br>It was nighttime.<br>A street fair near our home.<br>My wife.<br>Our two girls.<br>The only ones dancing.<br>As others looked on at a family lost in a moment.<br>Time didn&#8217;t exist.<br>We were all completely present.<br>Completely joyful.</span></p><p><span>After the song ended, the wonderful singer thanked our family and said that she felt our energy and love.</span></p><p><span>Looking around, I saw eyes in the crowd fixed on us. They felt it too.&#8221;</span></p><p><span>I smile and look at Rich.</span></p><p><span>&#8220;Do you realize what we just discovered?</span></p><p><span>This is a revelation.</span></p><p><span>Rich, this is amazing.&#8221;</span></p><p><span>He looks at me and smiles.</span></p><p><span>&#8220;I know.&#8221;</span></p><p><span>I add, &#8220;The single most beautiful moment of your life&#8230;</span></p><p><span>was effortless.</span></p><p><span>And you spread joy&#8212;</span><em><span>so much joy</span></em><span>&#8212;to those around you&#8230; effortlessly.</span></p><p><span>He looks at me and smiles, even wider now.</span></p><p><span>&#8220;I know.&#8221;</span></p><p></p><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://www.thecircleoffreethinkers.com/p/effortless-magic/comments&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Leave a comment&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:null}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="https://www.thecircleoffreethinkers.com/p/effortless-magic/comments"><span>Leave a comment</span></a></p><div><hr></div><p><em>If this resonated, share it.</em></p><p><em>Send it to someone who could use it today, or share it with your own community or network. Use the Share button below, or copy the link and post it wherever you like.</em></p><p><em>It&#8217;s one of the greatest compliments you can give.</em></p><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://www.thecircleoffreethinkers.com/p/effortless-magic?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email&utm_content=share&action=share&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Share&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:&quot;button-wrapper&quot;}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary button-wrapper" href="https://www.thecircleoffreethinkers.com/p/effortless-magic?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email&utm_content=share&action=share"><span>Share</span></a></p><div><hr></div><div class="subscription-widget-wrap-editor" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://www.thecircleoffreethinkers.com/subscribe?&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Subscribe&quot;,&quot;language&quot;:&quot;en&quot;}" data-component-name="SubscribeWidgetToDOM"><div class="subscription-widget show-subscribe"><div class="preamble"><p class="cta-caption">Thanks for being here inside The Circle Of Freethinkers &#8211; pull up a chair.</p></div><form class="subscription-widget-subscribe"><input type="email" class="email-input" name="email" placeholder="Type your email&#8230;" tabindex="-1"><input type="submit" class="button primary" value="Subscribe"><div class="fake-input-wrapper"><div class="fake-input"></div><div class="fake-button"></div></div></form></div></div><div><hr></div><p>Until next time, Freethinker&#8230; stay present, be pleasant, and have an amazing day &#128591;</p><p>Mike Messeroff<br><em>Creator of<a href="http://mikemesseroff.com/thereturn"> The Return</a> and <a href="http://mikemesseroff.com">Self-Hospitality&#8482;</a><br>Author of <a href="https://mikemesseroff.com/dogsgetit">Dogs Get It: Advice I learned from my best friend</a></em></p>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[This moment is "A Penis"]]></title><description><![CDATA[How a thick French accent reminded me that happiness is already here]]></description><link>https://www.thecircleoffreethinkers.com/p/this-moment-is-a-penis</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.thecircleoffreethinkers.com/p/this-moment-is-a-penis</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Mike Messeroff]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Fri, 28 Aug 2026 10:44:32 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/80f4983c-7583-4d8d-8122-a3d7ac4b9d24_1200x630.png" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><strong>Recorded live at The Return.</strong></p><div class="native-video-embed" data-component-name="VideoPlaceholder" data-attrs="{&quot;mediaUploadId&quot;:&quot;83d3a26f-3b0e-4d87-8fd0-3aeb9b6633e4&quot;,&quot;duration&quot;:null}"></div><h3>The Transcript</h3><p><strong>&#8220;A penis is not always what it seems.&#8221;</strong></p><p>I look over, my mouth gaping open, and Herv&#233; doesn&#8217;t notice.</p><p>My French friend, who&#8217;s driving&#8212;with his thick accent&#8212;he just keeps talking&#8230; about how our possessions possess us, how the trappings of Western society trap us, how consumerism consumes us.</p><p>And then he says,<br><strong>&#8220;A penis is perspective.<br>A penis is a choice.&#8221;</strong></p><p>And then it hits me.</p><p><em>Happiness</em> is perspective.<br><em>Happiness</em> is a choice.</p><p>And I&#8217;m laughing, and he keeps talking.</p><p>And I&#8217;m honestly glad that his thick accent jolted me into the present moment because, in this moment, in that moment, we were driving&#8230; it was a beautiful weekday afternoon&#8230; I&#8217;m there with my friend. It&#8217;s beautiful nature. It&#8217;s a beautiful day. Nothing really important going on.</p><p>Just talking, laughing, smiling.</p><p>And I realized: this moment&#8230; is happiness.</p><p>This moment is &#8220;A penis.&#8221;:</p><p>And Herv&#233; is right.</p><p><em><strong>A penis </strong></em>is not always what it seems.</p><p><br>~~~<br><strong>If you&#8217;re ready to slow down and stop taking life so seriously, join me at the next edition of The Return. <a href="https://mikemesseroff.com/thereturn">Reserve your seat</a>.</strong></p><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://www.thecircleoffreethinkers.com/p/this-moment-is-a-penis/comments&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Leave a comment&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:null}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="https://www.thecircleoffreethinkers.com/p/this-moment-is-a-penis/comments"><span>Leave a comment</span></a></p><div><hr></div><p><em>If this resonated, share it.</em></p><p><em>Send it to someone who could use it today, or share it with your own community or network. Use the Share button below, or copy the link and post it wherever you like.</em></p><p><em>It&#8217;s one of the greatest compliments you can give.</em></p><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://www.thecircleoffreethinkers.com/p/this-moment-is-a-penis?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email&utm_content=share&action=share&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Share&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:&quot;button-wrapper&quot;}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary button-wrapper" href="https://www.thecircleoffreethinkers.com/p/this-moment-is-a-penis?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email&utm_content=share&action=share"><span>Share</span></a></p><div><hr></div><div class="subscription-widget-wrap-editor" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://www.thecircleoffreethinkers.com/subscribe?&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Subscribe&quot;,&quot;language&quot;:&quot;en&quot;}" data-component-name="SubscribeWidgetToDOM"><div class="subscription-widget show-subscribe"><div class="preamble"><p class="cta-caption">Thanks for being here inside The Circle Of Freethinkers &#8211; pull up a chair.</p></div><form class="subscription-widget-subscribe"><input type="email" class="email-input" name="email" placeholder="Type your email&#8230;" tabindex="-1"><input type="submit" class="button primary" value="Subscribe"><div class="fake-input-wrapper"><div class="fake-input"></div><div class="fake-button"></div></div></form></div></div><div><hr></div><p>Until next time, Freethinker&#8230; stay present, be pleasant, and have an amazing day &#128591;</p><p>Mike Messeroff<br><em>Creator of<a href="http://mikemesseroff.com/thereturn"> The Return</a> and <a href="http://mikemesseroff.com">Self-Hospitality&#8482;</a><br>Author of <a href="https://mikemesseroff.com/dogsgetit">Dogs Get It: Advice I learned from my best friend</a></em></p>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[Are you actually a good person?]]></title><description><![CDATA[The voice wasn&#8217;t mine, but it came from within.]]></description><link>https://www.thecircleoffreethinkers.com/p/are-you-actually-a-good-person</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.thecircleoffreethinkers.com/p/are-you-actually-a-good-person</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Mike Messeroff]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Wed, 26 Aug 2026 18:48:43 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!EN9T!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F35e76c9b-4f49-48ea-b3e1-b89e578aa66d_1200x630.png" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!EN9T!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F35e76c9b-4f49-48ea-b3e1-b89e578aa66d_1200x630.png" 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srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!EN9T!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F35e76c9b-4f49-48ea-b3e1-b89e578aa66d_1200x630.png 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!EN9T!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F35e76c9b-4f49-48ea-b3e1-b89e578aa66d_1200x630.png 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!EN9T!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F35e76c9b-4f49-48ea-b3e1-b89e578aa66d_1200x630.png 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!EN9T!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F35e76c9b-4f49-48ea-b3e1-b89e578aa66d_1200x630.png 1456w" sizes="100vw" fetchpriority="high"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg aria-hidden="true" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><p><em>Are you actually a good person?</em></p><p><span>The voice wasn&#8217;t mine, but it came from within.</span></p><p><span>The tone changed to a decree:</span></p><p><em><span>YOU ACTUALLY ARE A GOOD PERSON.<br>You want others to enjoy their lives.<br>You do your best to be kind and generous.</span></em></p><p><em><span>You know it to be true, so why don&#8217;t you treat yourself like it&#8217;s true?</span></em></p><p><span>Walking down the street&#8230; who knows what my mind was spinning about&#8212;this voice made my mind stop.</span></p><p><span>This voice didn&#8217;t come from my head, but about two feet below it.</span></p><p><span>And for that moment, I knew it to be true.</span></p><p><span>I felt it to be true.</span></p><p><span>And I felt free.</span></p><p><span>&#8220;Why am I so hard on myself?&#8221; is no longer the question...</span></p><p><span>It&#8217;s &#8220;What do I do now, in the moment I become aware of it?&#8221;</span></p><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://www.thecircleoffreethinkers.com/p/are-you-actually-a-good-person/comments&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Leave a comment&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:null}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="https://www.thecircleoffreethinkers.com/p/are-you-actually-a-good-person/comments"><span>Leave a comment</span></a></p><div><hr></div><p><em>If this resonated, share it.</em></p><p><em>Send it to someone who could use it today, or share it with your own community or network. Use the Share button below, or copy the link and post it wherever you like.</em></p><p><em>It&#8217;s one of the greatest compliments you can give.</em></p><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://www.thecircleoffreethinkers.com/p/are-you-actually-a-good-person?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email&utm_content=share&action=share&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Share&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:&quot;button-wrapper&quot;}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary button-wrapper" href="https://www.thecircleoffreethinkers.com/p/are-you-actually-a-good-person?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email&utm_content=share&action=share"><span>Share</span></a></p><div><hr></div><div class="subscription-widget-wrap-editor" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://www.thecircleoffreethinkers.com/subscribe?&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Subscribe&quot;,&quot;language&quot;:&quot;en&quot;}" data-component-name="SubscribeWidgetToDOM"><div class="subscription-widget show-subscribe"><div class="preamble"><p class="cta-caption">Thanks for being here inside The Circle Of Freethinkers &#8211; pull up a chair.</p></div><form class="subscription-widget-subscribe"><input type="email" class="email-input" name="email" placeholder="Type your email&#8230;" tabindex="-1"><input type="submit" class="button primary" value="Subscribe"><div class="fake-input-wrapper"><div class="fake-input"></div><div class="fake-button"></div></div></form></div></div><div><hr></div><p>Until next time, Freethinker&#8230; stay present, be pleasant, and have an amazing day &#128591;</p><p>Mike Messeroff<br><em>Creator of<a href="http://mikemesseroff.com/thereturn"> The Return</a> and <a href="http://mikemesseroff.com">Self-Hospitality&#8482;</a><br>Author of <a href="https://mikemesseroff.com/dogsgetit">Dogs Get It: Advice I learned from my best friend</a></em></p>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[The Fijian Who Changed My Life ]]></title><description><![CDATA[Two minutes, a few dozen eggs, and my mind exploded.]]></description><link>https://www.thecircleoffreethinkers.com/p/the-fijian</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.thecircleoffreethinkers.com/p/the-fijian</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Mike Messeroff]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Fri, 21 Aug 2026 18:12:45 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/c229f4c8-02f4-4662-96a3-b3ccdbab79de_1200x630.png" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><strong>Recorded live at The Return.</strong></p><div class="native-video-embed" data-component-name="VideoPlaceholder" data-attrs="{&quot;mediaUploadId&quot;:&quot;3c9b773a-095a-468b-82c9-7cdb00295bf2&quot;,&quot;duration&quot;:null}"></div><p></p><h3>The Transcript</h3><p>And there&#8217;s a young Fijian man sitting at this bus stop, and he&#8217;s got a couple of dozen eggs next to him.</p><p>And we get real close, and he just smiles bright, right at me.</p><p>And I smile back, and we were so close, you know, I said, hey, how&#8217;s it going? You know, what are you, waiting for a bus?</p><p>He said, no.</p><p>I actually just got off the bus.</p><p>And, I was confused. You know, I said, well, what are you doing? Why are you sitting here?</p><p>He&#8217;s like, I&#8217;m just enjoying the afternoon.</p><p>I couldn&#8217;t believe it. It was like&#8230; it was like a&#8230; like, my mind exploded.</p><p>And he knew it, he saw it on my face, and he said, you know, I&#8217;m delivering these eggs to someone, but I don&#8217;t have to be there for a while, and I&#8217;m just sitting here enjoying the sun and the breeze.</p><p>And that moment, I mean, it really changed things for me. You know, this experience here today is called the Return, but</p><p>That young man didn&#8217;t need to return.</p><p>He was already there.</p><p>Or, better said, he was already&#8230; right here.</p><p><br>~~~<br><strong>If you&#8217;re ready to slow down, let go of the noise in your mind, and remember that the life you&#8217;re looking for is already here, join me at the next edition of The Return. <a href="https://mikemesseroff.com/thereturn">Reserve your seat</a>.</strong></p><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://www.thecircleoffreethinkers.com/p/the-fijian/comments&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Leave a comment&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:null}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="https://www.thecircleoffreethinkers.com/p/the-fijian/comments"><span>Leave a comment</span></a></p><div><hr></div><p><em>If this resonated, share it.</em></p><p><em>Send it to someone who could use it today, or share it with your own community or network. Use the Share button below, or copy the link and post it wherever you like.</em></p><p><em>It&#8217;s one of the greatest compliments you can give.</em></p><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://www.thecircleoffreethinkers.com/p/the-fijian?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email&utm_content=share&action=share&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Share&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:&quot;button-wrapper&quot;}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary button-wrapper" href="https://www.thecircleoffreethinkers.com/p/the-fijian?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email&utm_content=share&action=share"><span>Share</span></a></p><div><hr></div><div class="subscription-widget-wrap-editor" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://www.thecircleoffreethinkers.com/subscribe?&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Subscribe&quot;,&quot;language&quot;:&quot;en&quot;}" data-component-name="SubscribeWidgetToDOM"><div class="subscription-widget show-subscribe"><div class="preamble"><p class="cta-caption">Thanks for being here inside The Circle Of Freethinkers &#8211; pull up a chair.</p></div><form class="subscription-widget-subscribe"><input type="email" class="email-input" name="email" placeholder="Type your email&#8230;" tabindex="-1"><input type="submit" class="button primary" value="Subscribe"><div class="fake-input-wrapper"><div class="fake-input"></div><div class="fake-button"></div></div></form></div></div><div><hr></div><p>Until next time, Freethinker&#8230; stay present, be pleasant, and have an amazing day &#128591;</p><p>Mike Messeroff<br><em>Creator of<a href="http://mikemesseroff.com/thereturn"> The Return</a> and <a href="http://mikemesseroff.com">Self-Hospitality&#8482;</a><br>Author of <a href="https://mikemesseroff.com/dogsgetit">Dogs Get It: Advice I learned from my best friend</a></em></p>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[HEAD ON]]></title><description><![CDATA[What happens when there&#8217;s no time to think?]]></description><link>https://www.thecircleoffreethinkers.com/p/head-on</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.thecircleoffreethinkers.com/p/head-on</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Mike Messeroff]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Tue, 18 Aug 2026 15:33:03 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!WWQ8!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F9f0aa2bc-9ef7-4625-9ecc-d831c1f5cf97_1200x630.png" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!WWQ8!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F9f0aa2bc-9ef7-4625-9ecc-d831c1f5cf97_1200x630.png" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!WWQ8!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F9f0aa2bc-9ef7-4625-9ecc-d831c1f5cf97_1200x630.png 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!WWQ8!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F9f0aa2bc-9ef7-4625-9ecc-d831c1f5cf97_1200x630.png 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!WWQ8!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F9f0aa2bc-9ef7-4625-9ecc-d831c1f5cf97_1200x630.png 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!WWQ8!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F9f0aa2bc-9ef7-4625-9ecc-d831c1f5cf97_1200x630.png 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!WWQ8!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F9f0aa2bc-9ef7-4625-9ecc-d831c1f5cf97_1200x630.png" width="1200" height="630" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/9f0aa2bc-9ef7-4625-9ecc-d831c1f5cf97_1200x630.png&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:630,&quot;width&quot;:1200,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:1205559,&quot;alt&quot;:null,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/png&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:false,&quot;topImage&quot;:true,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:&quot;https://www.thecircleoffreethinkers.com/i/211721246?img=https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F9f0aa2bc-9ef7-4625-9ecc-d831c1f5cf97_1200x630.png&quot;,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!WWQ8!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F9f0aa2bc-9ef7-4625-9ecc-d831c1f5cf97_1200x630.png 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!WWQ8!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F9f0aa2bc-9ef7-4625-9ecc-d831c1f5cf97_1200x630.png 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!WWQ8!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F9f0aa2bc-9ef7-4625-9ecc-d831c1f5cf97_1200x630.png 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!WWQ8!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F9f0aa2bc-9ef7-4625-9ecc-d831c1f5cf97_1200x630.png 1456w" sizes="100vw" fetchpriority="high"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg aria-hidden="true" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><p></p><p>&#8220;Is that car coming right at us?&#8221; I ask Alisa.</p><p>&#8220;Sure looks like it.&#8221; Her voice is full of terror.</p><p>&#8220;This is a problem.<br>He&#8217;s not getting back in his lane.<br>What do I do, babe?<br>What do I do?<br>He&#8217;s closer, maybe 100 meters away.<br>What do I do?<br>50 now.<br>What do I do?<br>What do I do?!&#8221;</p><p>SMASH.</p><p><br>Okay, so none of that actually happened, except the near head-on collision on a two-lane highway in Costa Rica just north of Manuel Antonio. Alisa was next to me in the passenger seat, holding Lela. I was driving while holding Rocky, our other Yorkie. </p><p>There was a friend in the back, no others cars ahead of me... but then I saw it.</p><p>A car moved into my lane to pass the car in front of him&#8212;a common occurrence in Costa Rica&#8230; but what&#8217;s far less common is that he&#8217;s not getting back in his lane.</p><p>Within a few seconds, this deadly game of chicken will be over, one way or another.</p><p>I don&#8217;t have time to think.<br>I don&#8217;t have time to strategize.<br>I don&#8217;t have time to worry.</p><p>In this life-or-death situation... something takes my hands and gently steers the car onto the shoulder, which wasn&#8217;t there a moment ago, just in time for the oncoming car to whiz by us&#8212;IN OUR LANE.</p><p>I ease back into our lane from the shoulder and look at Alisa, her eyes wide open. They meet my wide-open eyes as I say, &#8220;What the hell just happened?&#8221;</p><p>Shaken up but totally fine. Wow. The pups didn&#8217;t even notice, and neither did our friend in the back.</p><p>In a moment&#8230;<br>A breath&#8230;<br>A few heartbeats&#8230;</p><p><strong>I realize that problems don&#8217;t exist in reality. They only exist in our heads.</strong></p><p>Without the commentary, the chatter, the analyzing, the narration, the drama... there is simply this moment.</p><p>And while living presently, in this moment, we are given all the tools to be able to respond precisely as necessary... in each moment.</p><p>And that ability to respond is responsibility.</p><p><em>So... could it actually be our responsibility to NOT worry?</em></p><p>~~~<br><strong>If you&#8217;re ready to let go of worries and remember that problems only exist in our heads, join me at The Return this Wednesday evening, August 19th. <a href="https://luma.com/hztn63j7">Reserve your seat.</a></strong></p><p></p><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://www.thecircleoffreethinkers.com/p/head-on/comments&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Leave a comment&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:null}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="https://www.thecircleoffreethinkers.com/p/head-on/comments"><span>Leave a comment</span></a></p><div><hr></div><p><em>If this resonated, share it with someone who could use it today&#8212;or share it with everyone. It's one of the greatest compliments you can give.</em></p><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://www.thecircleoffreethinkers.com/p/head-on?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email&utm_content=share&action=share&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Share&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:&quot;button-wrapper&quot;}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary button-wrapper" href="https://www.thecircleoffreethinkers.com/p/head-on?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email&utm_content=share&action=share"><span>Share</span></a></p><div><hr></div><div class="subscription-widget-wrap-editor" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://www.thecircleoffreethinkers.com/subscribe?&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Subscribe&quot;,&quot;language&quot;:&quot;en&quot;}" data-component-name="SubscribeWidgetToDOM"><div class="subscription-widget show-subscribe"><div class="preamble"><p class="cta-caption">Thanks for being here inside The Circle Of Freethinkers &#8211; pull up a chair.</p></div><form class="subscription-widget-subscribe"><input type="email" class="email-input" name="email" placeholder="Type your email&#8230;" tabindex="-1"><input type="submit" class="button primary" value="Subscribe"><div class="fake-input-wrapper"><div class="fake-input"></div><div class="fake-button"></div></div></form></div></div><div><hr></div><p>Until next time, Freethinker&#8230; stay present, be pleasant, and have an amazing day &#128591;</p><p>Mike Messeroff<br><em>Founder of <a href="http://mikemesseroff.com">The Carpe Diem Company</a><br><a href="https://mikemesseroff.com/workwithmike">Personal Freedom Coach</a> and Creator of Self-Hospitality&#8482;<br>Author of <a href="https://mikemesseroff.com/dogsgetit">Dogs Get It: Advice I learned from my best friend</a></em></p>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[“Who the fuck are you?”]]></title><description><![CDATA[I&#8217;m the demon in your head. Remember?]]></description><link>https://www.thecircleoffreethinkers.com/p/who-the-fuck-are-you</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.thecircleoffreethinkers.com/p/who-the-fuck-are-you</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Mike Messeroff]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Fri, 14 Aug 2026 16:49:51 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/b5efae9e-eb0c-4d04-b701-a70bf55939ac_1200x630.png" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!NLXT!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fce8ed584-e462-4cdd-a5be-a9c8ca75d3d0_1153x1441.jpeg" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!NLXT!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fce8ed584-e462-4cdd-a5be-a9c8ca75d3d0_1153x1441.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!NLXT!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fce8ed584-e462-4cdd-a5be-a9c8ca75d3d0_1153x1441.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!NLXT!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fce8ed584-e462-4cdd-a5be-a9c8ca75d3d0_1153x1441.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!NLXT!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fce8ed584-e462-4cdd-a5be-a9c8ca75d3d0_1153x1441.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!NLXT!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fce8ed584-e462-4cdd-a5be-a9c8ca75d3d0_1153x1441.jpeg" width="1153" height="1441" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/ce8ed584-e462-4cdd-a5be-a9c8ca75d3d0_1153x1441.jpeg&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:1441,&quot;width&quot;:1153,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:297731,&quot;alt&quot;:null,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/jpeg&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:false,&quot;topImage&quot;:true,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:&quot;https://www.thecircleoffreethinkers.com/i/211202641?img=https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fce8ed584-e462-4cdd-a5be-a9c8ca75d3d0_1153x1441.jpeg&quot;,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!NLXT!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fce8ed584-e462-4cdd-a5be-a9c8ca75d3d0_1153x1441.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!NLXT!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fce8ed584-e462-4cdd-a5be-a9c8ca75d3d0_1153x1441.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!NLXT!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fce8ed584-e462-4cdd-a5be-a9c8ca75d3d0_1153x1441.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!NLXT!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fce8ed584-e462-4cdd-a5be-a9c8ca75d3d0_1153x1441.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw" fetchpriority="high"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg aria-hidden="true" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><p>Wow, what a beautiful morning.<br>Tears of joy at this life&#8230; this world.<br>The sun is shining bright.</p><p>But&#8230; just moments later&#8230; the sun still blazes&#8212;but my mind produces a storm cloud.</p><p><em>Whoa, Mike&#8230; you sure about feeling this good? You know it won&#8217;t last. It never does. I always win this battle.</em></p><p>&#8220;Who the fuck are you?&#8221;</p><p><em>I&#8217;m the demon in your head. Remember?</em></p><p>&#8220;How can I forget? You never let me.&#8221;</p><p><em>And I never will.<br>Let&#8217;s keep talking.<br>I feel great!<br>Wait. What are you doing?<br>Don&#8217;t breathe like that.<br>Not the long exhale!<br>Not the long exh&#8230;</em></p><p>&#8220;Oh, there&#8217;s the sun again.<br>It never left.<br>I did.&#8221;</p><p>~~~<br><strong>If you&#8217;re ready to remember the sun that&#8217;s always shining, join me at The Return this Wednesday evening, August 19th. <a href="https://luma.com/hztn63j7">Reserve your seat.</a></strong></p><p></p><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://www.thecircleoffreethinkers.com/p/who-the-fuck-are-you/comments&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Leave a comment&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:null}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="https://www.thecircleoffreethinkers.com/p/who-the-fuck-are-you/comments"><span>Leave a comment</span></a></p><div><hr></div><p><em>If this resonated, share it with someone who could use it today&#8212;or share it with everyone. It's one of the greatest compliments you can give.</em></p><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://www.thecircleoffreethinkers.com/p/who-the-fuck-are-you?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email&utm_content=share&action=share&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Share&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:&quot;button-wrapper&quot;}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary button-wrapper" href="https://www.thecircleoffreethinkers.com/p/who-the-fuck-are-you?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email&utm_content=share&action=share"><span>Share</span></a></p><div><hr></div><div class="subscription-widget-wrap-editor" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://www.thecircleoffreethinkers.com/subscribe?&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Subscribe&quot;,&quot;language&quot;:&quot;en&quot;}" data-component-name="SubscribeWidgetToDOM"><div class="subscription-widget show-subscribe"><div class="preamble"><p class="cta-caption">Thanks for being here inside The Circle Of Freethinkers &#8211; pull up a chair.</p></div><form class="subscription-widget-subscribe"><input type="email" class="email-input" name="email" placeholder="Type your email&#8230;" tabindex="-1"><input type="submit" class="button primary" value="Subscribe"><div class="fake-input-wrapper"><div class="fake-input"></div><div class="fake-button"></div></div></form></div></div><div><hr></div><p>Until next time, Freethinker&#8230; stay present, be pleasant, and have an amazing day &#128591;</p><p>Mike Messeroff<br><em>Founder of <a href="http://mikemesseroff.com">The Carpe Diem Company</a><br><a href="https://mikemesseroff.com/workwithmike">Personal Freedom Coach</a> and Creator of Self-Hospitality&#8482;<br>Author of <a href="https://mikemesseroff.com/dogsgetit">Dogs Get It: Advice I learned from my best friend</a></em></p>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[I wish I had let myself be happier]]></title><description><![CDATA[Could it really be as simple as a choice?]]></description><link>https://www.thecircleoffreethinkers.com/p/i-wish-i-had-let-myself-be-happier</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.thecircleoffreethinkers.com/p/i-wish-i-had-let-myself-be-happier</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Mike Messeroff]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Wed, 12 Aug 2026 15:14:31 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!FZEa!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F97b3da88-4590-4f78-abea-5004481fb880_1200x630.png" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!FZEa!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F97b3da88-4590-4f78-abea-5004481fb880_1200x630.png" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!FZEa!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F97b3da88-4590-4f78-abea-5004481fb880_1200x630.png 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!FZEa!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F97b3da88-4590-4f78-abea-5004481fb880_1200x630.png 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!FZEa!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F97b3da88-4590-4f78-abea-5004481fb880_1200x630.png 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!FZEa!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F97b3da88-4590-4f78-abea-5004481fb880_1200x630.png 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!FZEa!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F97b3da88-4590-4f78-abea-5004481fb880_1200x630.png" width="1200" height="630" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/97b3da88-4590-4f78-abea-5004481fb880_1200x630.png&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:630,&quot;width&quot;:1200,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:759727,&quot;alt&quot;:null,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/png&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:false,&quot;topImage&quot;:true,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:&quot;https://www.thecircleoffreethinkers.com/i/210911677?img=https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F97b3da88-4590-4f78-abea-5004481fb880_1200x630.png&quot;,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!FZEa!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F97b3da88-4590-4f78-abea-5004481fb880_1200x630.png 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!FZEa!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F97b3da88-4590-4f78-abea-5004481fb880_1200x630.png 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!FZEa!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F97b3da88-4590-4f78-abea-5004481fb880_1200x630.png 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!FZEa!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F97b3da88-4590-4f78-abea-5004481fb880_1200x630.png 1456w" sizes="100vw" fetchpriority="high"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg aria-hidden="true" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><p></p><p><span>I wish I had let myself be happier.</span></p><p><span>That&#8217;s one of the most common regrets people have at the end of their lives.</span></p><p><span>What so often prevents joy in my life, and in the lives of those I have the privilege of working with&#8230; is our mind.</span></p><p><span>Thinking, thinking, thinking.</span></p><p><span>Instead of living.<br>Instead of appreciating.<br>Instead of simply being.</span></p><p><span>To let ourselves be happier&#8230;<br>Could it really be as simple as a choice?</span></p><p></p><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://www.thecircleoffreethinkers.com/p/i-wish-i-had-let-myself-be-happier/comments&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Leave a comment&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:null}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="https://www.thecircleoffreethinkers.com/p/i-wish-i-had-let-myself-be-happier/comments"><span>Leave a comment</span></a></p><div><hr></div><p><em>If this resonated, share it with someone who could use it today&#8212;or share it with everyone. It's one of the greatest compliments you can give.</em></p><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://www.thecircleoffreethinkers.com/p/i-wish-i-had-let-myself-be-happier?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email&utm_content=share&action=share&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Share&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:&quot;button-wrapper&quot;}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary button-wrapper" href="https://www.thecircleoffreethinkers.com/p/i-wish-i-had-let-myself-be-happier?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email&utm_content=share&action=share"><span>Share</span></a></p><div><hr></div><div class="subscription-widget-wrap-editor" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://www.thecircleoffreethinkers.com/subscribe?&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Subscribe&quot;,&quot;language&quot;:&quot;en&quot;}" data-component-name="SubscribeWidgetToDOM"><div class="subscription-widget show-subscribe"><div class="preamble"><p class="cta-caption">Thanks for being here inside The Circle Of Freethinkers &#8211; pull up a chair.</p></div><form class="subscription-widget-subscribe"><input type="email" class="email-input" name="email" placeholder="Type your email&#8230;" tabindex="-1"><input type="submit" class="button primary" value="Subscribe"><div class="fake-input-wrapper"><div class="fake-input"></div><div class="fake-button"></div></div></form></div></div><div><hr></div><p>Until next time, Freethinker&#8230; stay present, be pleasant, and have an amazing day &#128591;</p><p>Mike Messeroff<br><em>Founder of <a href="http://mikemesseroff.com">The Carpe Diem Company</a><br><a href="https://mikemesseroff.com/workwithmike">Personal Freedom Coach</a> and Creator of Self-Hospitality&#8482;<br>Author of <a href="https://mikemesseroff.com/dogsgetit">Dogs Get It: Advice I learned from my best friend</a></em></p>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[Can you use a nice, long exhale?]]></title><description><![CDATA[An Invitation to The Return]]></description><link>https://www.thecircleoffreethinkers.com/p/a-nice-long-exhale</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.thecircleoffreethinkers.com/p/a-nice-long-exhale</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Mike Messeroff]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Fri, 07 Aug 2026 16:31:53 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!snMM!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fa26c07c7-9bee-4f4a-823b-3241d3ca4e9e_1200x630.png" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!snMM!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fa26c07c7-9bee-4f4a-823b-3241d3ca4e9e_1200x630.png" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!snMM!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fa26c07c7-9bee-4f4a-823b-3241d3ca4e9e_1200x630.png 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!snMM!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fa26c07c7-9bee-4f4a-823b-3241d3ca4e9e_1200x630.png 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!snMM!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fa26c07c7-9bee-4f4a-823b-3241d3ca4e9e_1200x630.png 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!snMM!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fa26c07c7-9bee-4f4a-823b-3241d3ca4e9e_1200x630.png 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!snMM!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fa26c07c7-9bee-4f4a-823b-3241d3ca4e9e_1200x630.png" width="1200" height="630" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/a26c07c7-9bee-4f4a-823b-3241d3ca4e9e_1200x630.png&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:630,&quot;width&quot;:1200,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:991916,&quot;alt&quot;:null,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/png&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:false,&quot;topImage&quot;:true,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:&quot;https://www.thecircleoffreethinkers.com/i/210244197?img=https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fa26c07c7-9bee-4f4a-823b-3241d3ca4e9e_1200x630.png&quot;,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!snMM!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fa26c07c7-9bee-4f4a-823b-3241d3ca4e9e_1200x630.png 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!snMM!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fa26c07c7-9bee-4f4a-823b-3241d3ca4e9e_1200x630.png 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!snMM!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fa26c07c7-9bee-4f4a-823b-3241d3ca4e9e_1200x630.png 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!snMM!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fa26c07c7-9bee-4f4a-823b-3241d3ca4e9e_1200x630.png 1456w" sizes="100vw" fetchpriority="high"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg aria-hidden="true" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><p><span>Can you use a nice,<br>long exhale?</span></p><p><span>You know the feeling&#8230;<br>Your shoulders drop.<br>Your worries fade away.<br>And all is well.</span></p><p><span>Perhaps it&#8217;s that same feeling as your first sip of fresh coffee.<br>Or when your dog looks up at you with those eyes.<br>A baby&#8217;s smile.<br>A sunset.<br>A bird in flight.</span></p><p><span>One moment.</span></p><p><span>That just might&#8212;<br>and just for a moment&#8212;<br>take your breath away&#8230;</span></p><p><span>And bring you somewhere you had forgotten about&#8230;<br>Right here and now.</span></p><p><span>~~~</span></p><p><span>Every one of us needs these moments, and in my opinion, we need so much more of them.</span></p><p><span>With that feeling in your heart, I invite you to The Return: a live experience with one single intention&#8230;</span></p><p><span>That you leave feeling lighter than when you came.</span></p><p><strong><span>Save the date for August 19th at 8pm Eastern.</span></strong></p><p><span>I&#8217;ll share more soon.</span></p><p><span>Until then, don&#8217;t wait.</span></p><p><span>Take that deep breath.<br>And a long exhale.</span></p><p><span>You deserve it&#8230; and so does everyone else around you &#128591;</span></p><p><span>-Mike</span></p><p></p><p><em><span>*Share this visual with people you love:</span></em></p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!gtbL!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F14f1af36-10db-441a-9f2b-23c914e290b8_1080x1350.png" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!gtbL!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F14f1af36-10db-441a-9f2b-23c914e290b8_1080x1350.png 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!gtbL!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F14f1af36-10db-441a-9f2b-23c914e290b8_1080x1350.png 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!gtbL!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F14f1af36-10db-441a-9f2b-23c914e290b8_1080x1350.png 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!gtbL!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F14f1af36-10db-441a-9f2b-23c914e290b8_1080x1350.png 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!gtbL!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F14f1af36-10db-441a-9f2b-23c914e290b8_1080x1350.png" width="1080" height="1350" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/14f1af36-10db-441a-9f2b-23c914e290b8_1080x1350.png&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:1350,&quot;width&quot;:1080,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:1228718,&quot;alt&quot;:null,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/png&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:true,&quot;topImage&quot;:false,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:&quot;https://www.thecircleoffreethinkers.com/i/210244197?img=https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F14f1af36-10db-441a-9f2b-23c914e290b8_1080x1350.png&quot;,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!gtbL!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F14f1af36-10db-441a-9f2b-23c914e290b8_1080x1350.png 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!gtbL!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F14f1af36-10db-441a-9f2b-23c914e290b8_1080x1350.png 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!gtbL!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F14f1af36-10db-441a-9f2b-23c914e290b8_1080x1350.png 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!gtbL!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F14f1af36-10db-441a-9f2b-23c914e290b8_1080x1350.png 1456w" sizes="100vw" loading="lazy"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg aria-hidden="true" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><p></p><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://www.thecircleoffreethinkers.com/p/a-nice-long-exhale/comments&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Leave a comment&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:null}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="https://www.thecircleoffreethinkers.com/p/a-nice-long-exhale/comments"><span>Leave a comment</span></a></p><div><hr></div><p><em>If this resonated, share it with someone who could use it today&#8212;or share it with everyone. It's one of the greatest compliments you can give.</em></p><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://www.thecircleoffreethinkers.com/p/a-nice-long-exhale?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email&utm_content=share&action=share&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Share&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:&quot;button-wrapper&quot;}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary button-wrapper" href="https://www.thecircleoffreethinkers.com/p/a-nice-long-exhale?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email&utm_content=share&action=share"><span>Share</span></a></p><div><hr></div><div class="subscription-widget-wrap-editor" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://www.thecircleoffreethinkers.com/subscribe?&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Subscribe&quot;,&quot;language&quot;:&quot;en&quot;}" data-component-name="SubscribeWidgetToDOM"><div class="subscription-widget show-subscribe"><div class="preamble"><p class="cta-caption">Thanks for being here inside The Circle Of Freethinkers &#8211; pull up a chair.</p></div><form class="subscription-widget-subscribe"><input type="email" class="email-input" name="email" placeholder="Type your email&#8230;" tabindex="-1"><input type="submit" class="button primary" value="Subscribe"><div class="fake-input-wrapper"><div class="fake-input"></div><div class="fake-button"></div></div></form></div></div><div><hr></div><p>Until next time, Freethinker&#8230; stay present, be pleasant, and have an amazing day &#128591;</p><p>Mike Messeroff<br><em>Founder of <a href="http://mikemesseroff.com">The Carpe Diem Company</a><br><a href="https://mikemesseroff.com/workwithmike">Personal Freedom Coach</a> and Creator of Self-Hospitality&#8482;<br>Author of <a href="https://mikemesseroff.com/dogsgetit">Dogs Get It: Advice I learned from my best friend</a></em></p>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[The world didn’t slow down]]></title><description><![CDATA[A hermit crab brought me back]]></description><link>https://www.thecircleoffreethinkers.com/p/the-world-didnt-slow-down</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.thecircleoffreethinkers.com/p/the-world-didnt-slow-down</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Mike Messeroff]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Wed, 05 Aug 2026 19:12:28 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!SkgB!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F36c05905-faa7-439f-b7eb-a33c63d4a409_1200x630.png" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!SkgB!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F36c05905-faa7-439f-b7eb-a33c63d4a409_1200x630.png" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!SkgB!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F36c05905-faa7-439f-b7eb-a33c63d4a409_1200x630.png 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!SkgB!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F36c05905-faa7-439f-b7eb-a33c63d4a409_1200x630.png 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!SkgB!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F36c05905-faa7-439f-b7eb-a33c63d4a409_1200x630.png 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!SkgB!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F36c05905-faa7-439f-b7eb-a33c63d4a409_1200x630.png 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!SkgB!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F36c05905-faa7-439f-b7eb-a33c63d4a409_1200x630.png" width="1200" height="630" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/36c05905-faa7-439f-b7eb-a33c63d4a409_1200x630.png&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:630,&quot;width&quot;:1200,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:1021783,&quot;alt&quot;:null,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/png&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:false,&quot;topImage&quot;:true,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:&quot;https://www.thecircleoffreethinkers.com/i/209971452?img=https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F36c05905-faa7-439f-b7eb-a33c63d4a409_1200x630.png&quot;,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!SkgB!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F36c05905-faa7-439f-b7eb-a33c63d4a409_1200x630.png 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!SkgB!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F36c05905-faa7-439f-b7eb-a33c63d4a409_1200x630.png 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!SkgB!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F36c05905-faa7-439f-b7eb-a33c63d4a409_1200x630.png 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!SkgB!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F36c05905-faa7-439f-b7eb-a33c63d4a409_1200x630.png 1456w" sizes="100vw" fetchpriority="high"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg aria-hidden="true" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><p><span>A hermit crab scurries over the sand.<br>Where was I?</span></p><p><span>Here, now,<br>on this empty beach with my friend&#8212;<br>no other humans aside from a few Ticos casting hand lines into the surf.<br>Waves lap.<br>Salty air.</span></p><p><span>What was I worried about?</span></p><p><span>The world didn&#8217;t slow down.</span></p><p><span>Didn&#8217;t<br>change<br>at<br>all.</span></p><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://www.thecircleoffreethinkers.com/p/the-world-didnt-slow-down/comments&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Leave a comment&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:null}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="https://www.thecircleoffreethinkers.com/p/the-world-didnt-slow-down/comments"><span>Leave a comment</span></a></p><div><hr></div><p><em>If this resonated, share it with someone who could use it today&#8212;or share it with everyone. It's one of the greatest compliments you can give.</em></p><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://www.thecircleoffreethinkers.com/p/the-world-didnt-slow-down?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email&utm_content=share&action=share&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Share&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:&quot;button-wrapper&quot;}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary button-wrapper" href="https://www.thecircleoffreethinkers.com/p/the-world-didnt-slow-down?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email&utm_content=share&action=share"><span>Share</span></a></p><div><hr></div><div class="subscription-widget-wrap-editor" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://www.thecircleoffreethinkers.com/subscribe?&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Subscribe&quot;,&quot;language&quot;:&quot;en&quot;}" data-component-name="SubscribeWidgetToDOM"><div class="subscription-widget show-subscribe"><div class="preamble"><p class="cta-caption">Thanks for being here inside The Circle Of Freethinkers &#8211; pull up a chair.</p></div><form class="subscription-widget-subscribe"><input type="email" class="email-input" name="email" placeholder="Type your email&#8230;" tabindex="-1"><input type="submit" class="button primary" value="Subscribe"><div class="fake-input-wrapper"><div class="fake-input"></div><div class="fake-button"></div></div></form></div></div><div><hr></div><p>Until next time, Freethinker&#8230; stay present, be pleasant, and have an amazing day &#128591;</p><p>Mike Messeroff<br><em>Founder of <a href="http://mikemesseroff.com">The Carpe Diem Company</a><br><a href="https://mikemesseroff.com/workwithmike">Personal Freedom Coach</a> and Creator of Self-Hospitality&#8482;<br>Author of <a href="https://mikemesseroff.com/dogsgetit">Dogs Get It: Advice I learned from my best friend</a></em></p>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[Do dogs want to be human?]]></title><description><![CDATA[Lela only needed two words]]></description><link>https://www.thecircleoffreethinkers.com/p/would-dogs-like-to-be-human</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.thecircleoffreethinkers.com/p/would-dogs-like-to-be-human</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Mike Messeroff]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Sat, 01 Aug 2026 10:44:07 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/218dcbc1-c284-48a9-9be1-fc22675c78a8_1200x630.png" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<div class="native-video-embed" data-component-name="VideoPlaceholder" data-attrs="{&quot;mediaUploadId&quot;:&quot;a427f559-b9c9-4226-a3a1-d59f6fc48e0f&quot;,&quot;duration&quot;:null}"></div><p><span>&#8220;Would you like to be human?&#8221;<br>I asked Lela, my pup.<br>She didn&#8217;t seem to ponder.<br>She simply looked up.</span></p><p><span>She stared right at me,<br>with those eyes like a doe.<br>Then spoke just two words.<br>She said sweetly,</span></p><p><span>Fuck no.</span></p><p><span>I&#8217;d stop being present,<br>and stare all day at a screen,<br>angry and racing,<br>chasing paper that&#8217;s green.</span></p><p><span>I&#8217;d eat and drink it all,<br>but never enjoy it.<br>I&#8217;d have a marvelous brain,<br>but rarely employ it.</span></p><p><span>I&#8217;d lose touch with nature.<br>I&#8217;d scheme, plot, and ploy.<br>Trying to beat others,<br>I&#8217;d lose wonder and joy.</span></p><p><span>I&#8217;d run here and there,<br>and scurry about,<br>I&#8217;d argue, defend,<br>complain, blame, and shout.</span></p><p><span>Nah, no thanks.<br>I&#8217;m good being me.<br>You think you&#8217;re liberated,<br>but that&#8217;s the problem&#8212;can&#8217;t you see?</span></p><p><span>And while you worry and hurry,<br>day after day,<br>I&#8217;ll relax, enjoy life,<br>I&#8217;ll nap, and I&#8217;ll play.</span></p><p><span>You may seem smarter, Dad,<br>but there&#8217;s no question what I&#8217;d be.<br>I&#8217;m a dog, baby.<br>I&#8217;m at peace&#8212;and I&#8217;m free.</span></p><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://www.thecircleoffreethinkers.com/p/would-dogs-like-to-be-human/comments&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Leave a comment&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:null}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="https://www.thecircleoffreethinkers.com/p/would-dogs-like-to-be-human/comments"><span>Leave a comment</span></a></p><div><hr></div><p><em>If this resonated, share it with someone who could use it today&#8212;or share it with everyone. It's one of the greatest compliments you can give.</em></p><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://www.thecircleoffreethinkers.com/p/would-dogs-like-to-be-human?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email&utm_content=share&action=share&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Share&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:&quot;button-wrapper&quot;}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary button-wrapper" href="https://www.thecircleoffreethinkers.com/p/would-dogs-like-to-be-human?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email&utm_content=share&action=share"><span>Share</span></a></p><div><hr></div><div class="subscription-widget-wrap-editor" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://www.thecircleoffreethinkers.com/subscribe?&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Subscribe&quot;,&quot;language&quot;:&quot;en&quot;}" data-component-name="SubscribeWidgetToDOM"><div class="subscription-widget show-subscribe"><div class="preamble"><p class="cta-caption">Thanks for being here inside The Circle Of Freethinkers &#8211; pull up a chair.</p></div><form class="subscription-widget-subscribe"><input type="email" class="email-input" name="email" placeholder="Type your email&#8230;" tabindex="-1"><input type="submit" class="button primary" value="Subscribe"><div class="fake-input-wrapper"><div class="fake-input"></div><div class="fake-button"></div></div></form></div></div><div><hr></div><p>Until next time, Freethinker&#8230; stay present, be pleasant, and have an amazing day &#128591;</p><p>Mike Messeroff<br><em>Founder of <a href="http://mikemesseroff.com">The Carpe Diem Company</a><br><a href="https://mikemesseroff.com/workwithmike">Personal Freedom Coach</a> and Creator of Self-Hospitality&#8482;<br>Author of <a href="https://mikemesseroff.com/dogsgetit">Dogs Get It: Advice I learned from my best friend</a></em></p>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[Norman Is Brilliant]]></title><description><![CDATA[My thinking mind was never the enemy]]></description><link>https://www.thecircleoffreethinkers.com/p/norman-is-brilliant</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.thecircleoffreethinkers.com/p/norman-is-brilliant</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Mike Messeroff]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Wed, 29 Jul 2026 10:45:15 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Q94p!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F55e05a7d-a828-44b9-b024-ad2040f6d552_1200x630.png" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Q94p!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F55e05a7d-a828-44b9-b024-ad2040f6d552_1200x630.png" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Q94p!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F55e05a7d-a828-44b9-b024-ad2040f6d552_1200x630.png 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Q94p!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F55e05a7d-a828-44b9-b024-ad2040f6d552_1200x630.png 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Q94p!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F55e05a7d-a828-44b9-b024-ad2040f6d552_1200x630.png 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Q94p!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F55e05a7d-a828-44b9-b024-ad2040f6d552_1200x630.png 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Q94p!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F55e05a7d-a828-44b9-b024-ad2040f6d552_1200x630.png" width="1200" height="630" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/55e05a7d-a828-44b9-b024-ad2040f6d552_1200x630.png&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:630,&quot;width&quot;:1200,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:1152516,&quot;alt&quot;:null,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/png&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:false,&quot;topImage&quot;:true,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:&quot;https://www.thecircleoffreethinkers.com/i/208891728?img=https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F55e05a7d-a828-44b9-b024-ad2040f6d552_1200x630.png&quot;,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Q94p!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F55e05a7d-a828-44b9-b024-ad2040f6d552_1200x630.png 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Q94p!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F55e05a7d-a828-44b9-b024-ad2040f6d552_1200x630.png 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Q94p!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F55e05a7d-a828-44b9-b024-ad2040f6d552_1200x630.png 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Q94p!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F55e05a7d-a828-44b9-b024-ad2040f6d552_1200x630.png 1456w" sizes="100vw" fetchpriority="high"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg aria-hidden="true" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><p><span>My thinking mind isn&#8217;t the enemy... what a revelation!</span></p><p><span>I like to call him &#8220;Norman,&#8221; &#8220;Normal Norman,&#8221; or, on particularly chatty days, &#8220;Narrating Normal Norman&#8221;.</span></p><p><span>And yes, he gets me into trouble.</span></p><p><span>But he&#8217;s also with me right now as I write this.</span></p><p><span>He&#8217;s with me as I ski through trees.<br>As I learn Spanish, dancing, and surfing.<br>And as I coach and speak.</span></p><p><span>Norman is brilliant.</span></p><p><span>The trouble isn&#8217;t that Norman thinks.</span></p><p><span>As Alan Watts said, thinking is &#8220;a good servant but a bad master.&#8221;</span></p><p><span>The trouble is when he starts narrating my life...<br>Commenting.<br>Judging.<br>Replaying.<br>Analyzing.<br>Predicting.</span></p><p><span>And the suffering escalates when Norman&#8217;s narration turns into thinking about thinking.</span></p><p><span>That&#8217;s a hall of mirrors.</span></p><p><span>That&#8217;s a never-ending nightmare of narration.</span></p><p><span>In a word... that&#8217;s anxiety.</span></p><p><span>I always like to say:</span></p><p><span>Life is the best,<br>when my mind takes a rest.</span></p><p><span>But here&#8217;s a new line that feels even more fitting...</span></p><p><span>Life is the shit,<br>when I&#8217;m not thinking about it.</span></p><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://www.thecircleoffreethinkers.com/p/norman-is-brilliant/comments&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Leave a comment&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:null}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="https://www.thecircleoffreethinkers.com/p/norman-is-brilliant/comments"><span>Leave a comment</span></a></p><div><hr></div><p><em>If this resonated, share it with someone who could use it today&#8212;or share it with everyone. It's one of the greatest compliments you can give.</em></p><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://www.thecircleoffreethinkers.com/p/norman-is-brilliant?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email&utm_content=share&action=share&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Share&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:&quot;button-wrapper&quot;}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary button-wrapper" href="https://www.thecircleoffreethinkers.com/p/norman-is-brilliant?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email&utm_content=share&action=share"><span>Share</span></a></p><div><hr></div><div class="subscription-widget-wrap-editor" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://www.thecircleoffreethinkers.com/subscribe?&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Subscribe&quot;,&quot;language&quot;:&quot;en&quot;}" data-component-name="SubscribeWidgetToDOM"><div class="subscription-widget show-subscribe"><div class="preamble"><p class="cta-caption">Thanks for being here inside The Circle Of Freethinkers &#8211; pull up a chair.</p></div><form class="subscription-widget-subscribe"><input type="email" class="email-input" name="email" placeholder="Type your email&#8230;" tabindex="-1"><input type="submit" class="button primary" value="Subscribe"><div class="fake-input-wrapper"><div class="fake-input"></div><div class="fake-button"></div></div></form></div></div><div><hr></div><p>Until next time, Freethinker&#8230; stay present, be pleasant, and have an amazing day &#128591;</p><p>Mike Messeroff<br><em>Founder of <a href="http://mikemesseroff.com">The Carpe Diem Company</a><br><a href="https://mikemesseroff.com/workwithmike">Personal Freedom Coach</a> and Creator of Self-Hospitality&#8482;<br>Author of <a href="https://mikemesseroff.com/dogsgetit">Dogs Get It: Advice I learned from my best friend</a></em></p>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[The Only Stable Ground]]></title><description><![CDATA[Now we can stop seeking security where security is not.]]></description><link>https://www.thecircleoffreethinkers.com/p/the-only-stable-ground</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.thecircleoffreethinkers.com/p/the-only-stable-ground</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Mike Messeroff]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Fri, 24 Jul 2026 10:45:11 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/4138319f-3efe-4828-a336-bed9a769ea31_1200x630.png" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<p></p><div class="native-video-embed" data-component-name="VideoPlaceholder" data-attrs="{&quot;mediaUploadId&quot;:&quot;72ecd77c-3b5c-4497-909a-bb7ecbd59313&quot;,&quot;duration&quot;:null}"></div><p><span><br>In 2001, the CEO of JetBlue got me hired.<br>Six years later, I watched him get fired.<br>From his own company! What a lesson, what a gift&#8212;<br>Learning this at 25: Job security is always a myth.</span></p><p><span>Well before that, my mom and dad split,<br>Not exactly solid footing&#8212;this love and marriage shit.<br>I saw firsthand how relationships can rot.<br>How nice to know what love is not.</span></p><p><span>And even before that&#8230; I was taught to stay quiet and nod,<br>Imprisoned in a temple to worship the Mighty God.<br>&#8220;Here&#8217;s the truth,&#8221; they said. &#8220;Come sit at our table.<br>We are right, and they are wrong.&#8221; &#8230;this all feels a bit unstable.</span></p><p><span>The world is impermanence, living and dying,<br>So why cling to a thing that prevents you from flying?<br>The only stable ground, now I see.<br>Lies within and sets us free.</span></p><p><span>Because if a founder can be fired from the company he founded,<br>Love and religion can disintegrate despite how well-grounded.<br>True security isn&#8217;t out there&#8230; it&#8217;s what we&#8217;ve already got.<br>Now we can stop seeking security where security is not.</span></p><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://www.thecircleoffreethinkers.com/p/the-only-stable-ground/comments&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Leave a comment&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:null}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="https://www.thecircleoffreethinkers.com/p/the-only-stable-ground/comments"><span>Leave a comment</span></a></p><div><hr></div><p><em>If this resonated, share it with someone who could use it today.</em></p><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://www.thecircleoffreethinkers.com/p/the-only-stable-ground?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email&utm_content=share&action=share&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Share&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:&quot;button-wrapper&quot;}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary button-wrapper" href="https://www.thecircleoffreethinkers.com/p/the-only-stable-ground?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email&utm_content=share&action=share"><span>Share</span></a></p><div><hr></div><div class="subscription-widget-wrap-editor" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://www.thecircleoffreethinkers.com/subscribe?&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Subscribe&quot;,&quot;language&quot;:&quot;en&quot;}" data-component-name="SubscribeWidgetToDOM"><div class="subscription-widget show-subscribe"><div class="preamble"><p class="cta-caption">Thanks for being here inside The Circle Of Freethinkers &#8211; pull up a chair.</p></div><form class="subscription-widget-subscribe"><input type="email" class="email-input" name="email" placeholder="Type your email&#8230;" tabindex="-1"><input type="submit" class="button primary" value="Subscribe"><div class="fake-input-wrapper"><div class="fake-input"></div><div class="fake-button"></div></div></form></div></div><div><hr></div><p>Until next time, Freethinker&#8230; stay present, be pleasant, and have an amazing day &#128591;</p><p>Mike Messeroff<br><em>Founder of <a href="http://mikemesseroff.com">The Carpe Diem Company</a><br><a href="https://mikemesseroff.com/workwithmike">Personal Freedom Coach</a> and Creator of Self-Hospitality&#8482;<br>Author of <a href="https://mikemesseroff.com/dogsgetit">Dogs Get It: Advice I learned from my best friend</a></em></p>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[The Beautiful Release]]></title><description><![CDATA[Sometimes the smallest teachers reveal the biggest truths.]]></description><link>https://www.thecircleoffreethinkers.com/p/the-beautiful-release</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.thecircleoffreethinkers.com/p/the-beautiful-release</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Mike Messeroff]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Fri, 17 Jul 2026 10:44:14 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/102e3d46-c986-4659-8f90-3e5451c381da_1536x1024.png" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<div class="native-video-embed" data-component-name="VideoPlaceholder" data-attrs="{&quot;mediaUploadId&quot;:&quot;7753bb81-4db2-4563-8713-1ecd2fe581e0&quot;,&quot;duration&quot;:null}"></div><p><span>I notice an ant, gently tickling my arm.<br>I&#8217;m glad that I feel him, before causing any harm.</span></p><p><span>You see, with just a swipe, it&#8217;d be too late.<br>So I give a little blow&#8230; a much safer fate.</span></p><p><span>Then I blow, harder and harder, but he holds on tight&#8212;<br>resisting and struggling with all of his might.</span></p><p><span>I want to shout, &#8220;Let go! You will fall and be sore&#8230;<br>But if you stay here, you will suffer much more.&#8221;</span></p><p><span>Then, with a mighty gust&#8212;the beautiful release.<br>He falls, shakes it off, and returns to his life of peace.</span></p><p><span>I wonder how many times I held on tightly to stay,<br>While the universe was blowing&#8212;showing me the way.</span></p><p><span>I just didn&#8217;t know, I suppose I didn&#8217;t trust,<br>How often help comes in the form of a gust.</span></p><p><span>Now, when I feel myself gripping&#8212;stopping the flow,<br>I think of that little ant&#8230;</span></p><p><span>take a breath&#8230;</span></p><p><span>and let go.</span></p><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://www.thecircleoffreethinkers.com/p/the-beautiful-release/comments&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Leave a comment&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:null}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="https://www.thecircleoffreethinkers.com/p/the-beautiful-release/comments"><span>Leave a comment</span></a></p><div><hr></div><p><em>If this resonated, share it with someone who could use it today.</em></p><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://www.thecircleoffreethinkers.com/p/the-beautiful-release?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email&utm_content=share&action=share&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Share&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:&quot;button-wrapper&quot;}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary button-wrapper" href="https://www.thecircleoffreethinkers.com/p/the-beautiful-release?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email&utm_content=share&action=share"><span>Share</span></a></p><div><hr></div><div class="subscription-widget-wrap-editor" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://www.thecircleoffreethinkers.com/subscribe?&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Subscribe&quot;,&quot;language&quot;:&quot;en&quot;}" data-component-name="SubscribeWidgetToDOM"><div class="subscription-widget show-subscribe"><div class="preamble"><p class="cta-caption">Thanks for being here inside The Circle Of Freethinkers &#8211; pull up a chair.</p></div><form class="subscription-widget-subscribe"><input type="email" class="email-input" name="email" placeholder="Type your email&#8230;" tabindex="-1"><input type="submit" class="button primary" value="Subscribe"><div class="fake-input-wrapper"><div class="fake-input"></div><div class="fake-button"></div></div></form></div></div><div><hr></div><p>Until next time, Freethinker&#8230; stay present, be pleasant, and have an amazing day &#128591;</p><p>Mike Messeroff<br><em>Founder of <a href="http://mikemesseroff.com">The Carpe Diem Company</a><br><a href="https://mikemesseroff.com/workwithmike">Personal Freedom Coach</a> and Creator of Self-Hospitality&#8482;<br>Author of <a href="https://mikemesseroff.com/dogsgetit">Dogs Get It: Advice I learned from my best friend</a></em></p>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA["Wanna fight?"]]></title><description><![CDATA[The hardest fight isn't with another person. It's with the person you no longer wish to be.]]></description><link>https://www.thecircleoffreethinkers.com/p/wanna-fight</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.thecircleoffreethinkers.com/p/wanna-fight</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Mike Messeroff]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Wed, 08 Jul 2026 14:44:27 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!vZ4m!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fc89ac980-4510-4c88-ab0f-8723e4d74e04_1600x900.png" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!vZ4m!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fc89ac980-4510-4c88-ab0f-8723e4d74e04_1600x900.png" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!vZ4m!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fc89ac980-4510-4c88-ab0f-8723e4d74e04_1600x900.png 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!vZ4m!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fc89ac980-4510-4c88-ab0f-8723e4d74e04_1600x900.png 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!vZ4m!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fc89ac980-4510-4c88-ab0f-8723e4d74e04_1600x900.png 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!vZ4m!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fc89ac980-4510-4c88-ab0f-8723e4d74e04_1600x900.png 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!vZ4m!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fc89ac980-4510-4c88-ab0f-8723e4d74e04_1600x900.png" width="1456" height="819" 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srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!vZ4m!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fc89ac980-4510-4c88-ab0f-8723e4d74e04_1600x900.png 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!vZ4m!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fc89ac980-4510-4c88-ab0f-8723e4d74e04_1600x900.png 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!vZ4m!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fc89ac980-4510-4c88-ab0f-8723e4d74e04_1600x900.png 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!vZ4m!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fc89ac980-4510-4c88-ab0f-8723e4d74e04_1600x900.png 1456w" sizes="100vw" fetchpriority="high"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg aria-hidden="true" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><p>Lela and I were walking the beach in Tamarindo about thirty minutes after another stunning Costa Rican sunset.</p><p>It gets dark fast.</p><p>There weren&#8217;t many people around.</p><p>I noticed a shady-looking guy ahead and felt an urge to scoop up my sweet seven-pound Yorkie.</p><p>I didn&#8217;t.</p><p>Instead, I looked back down at my phone.</p><p>Before I knew it, he was standing in our path.</p><p>With the tip of his fishing rod, he poked Lela.</p><p>She didn&#8217;t seem to mind&#8212;gotta love dogs.</p><p>But I did.</p><p>I scooped her up, looked him in the eyes, and said,</p><blockquote><p>&#8220;Don&#8217;t poke my dog.&#8221;</p></blockquote><p>He started walking away.</p><p>Then calmly turned around.</p><blockquote><p>&#8220;Wanna fight?&#8221;</p></blockquote><p>I laughed.</p><p>It felt like a scene from a movie.</p><blockquote><p>&#8220;No.&#8221;</p></blockquote><p>I kept walking.</p><p>He asked again.</p><blockquote><p>&#8220;Wanna fight?&#8221;</p></blockquote><p>With Lela tucked tightly against my chest, I kept moving.</p><p>I didn&#8217;t want to fight him.</p><p>I wanted to kill him.</p><p>For a few seconds, my mind vividly imagined how.</p><p>Every fantasy ended the same way:</p><p>He&#8217;d be lying in a bloody heap, his broken fishing rod beside him.</p><p>I&#8217;d look down and say,</p><p>&#8220;You picked the wrong dog to poke.&#8221;</p><p>Thankfully...</p><p>None of that happened.</p><p>I watched until he finally sat down on a rock.</p><p>Lela and I slipped through a nearby hotel, walked through a crowded outdoor food market, and took a different route home.</p><p>No one got hurt.</p><p>No one went to jail.</p><p>No one got stabbed.</p><p>No one got shot.</p><p>No one died.</p><p>It had only been a few minutes, but Lela had already forgotten the entire thing.</p><p>I hadn&#8217;t.</p><p>On the bright side, it turned out to be a pretty inexpensive lesson.</p><p>Stop getting lost in your phone. When intuition speaks... listen.</p><p>Yet, for hours, my mind attacked me.</p><div class="callout-block" data-callout="true"><p>You&#8217;re a pussy.</p><p>He fucking poked your dog.</p><p>You&#8217;re really going to let some asshole decide where you can walk?</p></div><p>It was relentless.</p><p>Until it wasn&#8217;t.</p><p>I no longer wanted to be the man my mind was defending.</p><p>The hardest fight isn&#8217;t with another person.</p><p>It&#8217;s with the person you no longer wish to be.</p><p>I don&#8217;t know if twenty-five-year-old Mike would&#8217;ve walked away.</p><p>Forty-four-year-old Mike did.</p><p>Not because I was afraid.</p><p>Because freedom finally mattered more than old programming.</p><p>Safe at home, I kissed Lela on the head.</p><p>And felt grateful...</p><p>Not just for the man I&#8217;ve become.</p><p>But for the one I continue leaving behind.</p><p></p><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://www.thecircleoffreethinkers.com/p/wanna-fight/comments&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Leave a comment&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:null}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="https://www.thecircleoffreethinkers.com/p/wanna-fight/comments"><span>Leave a comment</span></a></p><div><hr></div><p><em>If this resonated, share it with someone who could use it today.</em></p><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://www.thecircleoffreethinkers.com/p/wanna-fight?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email&utm_content=share&action=share&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Share&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:&quot;button-wrapper&quot;}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary button-wrapper" href="https://www.thecircleoffreethinkers.com/p/wanna-fight?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email&utm_content=share&action=share"><span>Share</span></a></p><div><hr></div><div class="subscription-widget-wrap-editor" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://www.thecircleoffreethinkers.com/subscribe?&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Subscribe&quot;,&quot;language&quot;:&quot;en&quot;}" data-component-name="SubscribeWidgetToDOM"><div class="subscription-widget show-subscribe"><div class="preamble"><p class="cta-caption">Thanks for being here inside The Circle Of Freethinkers &#8211; pull up a chair.</p></div><form class="subscription-widget-subscribe"><input type="email" class="email-input" name="email" placeholder="Type your email&#8230;" tabindex="-1"><input type="submit" class="button primary" value="Subscribe"><div class="fake-input-wrapper"><div class="fake-input"></div><div class="fake-button"></div></div></form></div></div><div><hr></div><p>Until next time, Freethinkers&#8230; stay present, be pleasant, and have an amazing day &#128591;</p><p>Mike Messeroff<br><em>Founder of <a href="http://mikemesseroff.com">The Carpe Diem Company</a><br><a href="https://mikemesseroff.com/workwithmike">Personal Freedom Coach</a> and Creator of Self-Hospitality&#8482;<br>Author of <a href="https://mikemesseroff.com/dogsgetit">Dogs Get It: Advice I learned from my best friend</a></em></p>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[Before You Love Anyone]]></title><description><![CDATA[Suiamory comes first]]></description><link>https://www.thecircleoffreethinkers.com/p/before-you-love-anyone</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.thecircleoffreethinkers.com/p/before-you-love-anyone</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Mike Messeroff]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Fri, 19 Jun 2026 15:24:32 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Vdri!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fd2e26b69-3937-47bb-8667-adf2a2ad72b7_3648x5472.jpeg" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><strong>Welcome, Freethinker &#8212;&nbsp;take a deep breath.</strong></p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Vdri!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fd2e26b69-3937-47bb-8667-adf2a2ad72b7_3648x5472.jpeg" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Vdri!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fd2e26b69-3937-47bb-8667-adf2a2ad72b7_3648x5472.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Vdri!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fd2e26b69-3937-47bb-8667-adf2a2ad72b7_3648x5472.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Vdri!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fd2e26b69-3937-47bb-8667-adf2a2ad72b7_3648x5472.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Vdri!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fd2e26b69-3937-47bb-8667-adf2a2ad72b7_3648x5472.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Vdri!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fd2e26b69-3937-47bb-8667-adf2a2ad72b7_3648x5472.jpeg" width="1456" height="2184" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/d2e26b69-3937-47bb-8667-adf2a2ad72b7_3648x5472.jpeg&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:2184,&quot;width&quot;:1456,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:13805570,&quot;alt&quot;:null,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/jpeg&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:false,&quot;topImage&quot;:true,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:&quot;https://www.thecircleoffreethinkers.com/i/202731715?img=https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fd2e26b69-3937-47bb-8667-adf2a2ad72b7_3648x5472.jpeg&quot;,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Vdri!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fd2e26b69-3937-47bb-8667-adf2a2ad72b7_3648x5472.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Vdri!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fd2e26b69-3937-47bb-8667-adf2a2ad72b7_3648x5472.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Vdri!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fd2e26b69-3937-47bb-8667-adf2a2ad72b7_3648x5472.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Vdri!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fd2e26b69-3937-47bb-8667-adf2a2ad72b7_3648x5472.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw" fetchpriority="high"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg aria-hidden="true" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><p><strong>You cannot multiply love if you don&#8217;t have it to begin with.</strong></p><p>Which is why almost no one I&#8217;ve ever met is actually polyamorous.</p><p>Most people don&#8217;t love themselves &#8212; not even close.</p><p>They just distract themselves from that fact.</p><p>They enter relationships trying to fill something that cannot be filled by another person.</p><p>They call it love, but it&#8217;s attachment&#8230; fear&#8230; emptiness.</p><p>And then they wonder why it doesn&#8217;t work &#8212; with one person or many.</p><p>I&#8217;m not speaking from theory.</p><p>I&#8217;m eternally grateful for Alisa. Had it not been for her bravery &#8212; her willingness to be fully herself and risk our relationship &#8212; I never would have built the relationship I now have with myself.</p><p>It&#8217;s unshakeable.</p><p>That&#8217;s real stability.</p><p>And without that, &#8220;polyamory&#8221; is just multiplying unresolved patterns across multiple people.</p><p>In 8 years of polyamory, I&#8217;ve had several flings, but only one girlfriend &#8212; and even that was a lie.</p><p>I knew she was needy.<br>I knew it was codependent.<br>I knew she confused love with attachment.</p><p>And I stayed anyway.</p><p>That&#8217;s what not loving yourself looks like.</p><p>So before you consider loving anyone &#8212; not just more than one &#8212; ask yourself:</p><p>Do I actually love myself?</p><p>Or am I asking someone else to do that for me?</p><p>If this lands, it&#8217;s because you know exactly why.</p><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://www.thecircleoffreethinkers.com/p/before-you-love-anyone/comments&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Leave a comment&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:null}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="https://www.thecircleoffreethinkers.com/p/before-you-love-anyone/comments"><span>Leave a comment</span></a></p><div><hr></div><p><em>If this resonated, share the love with someone who could use it today.</em></p><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://www.thecircleoffreethinkers.com/p/before-you-love-anyone?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email&utm_content=share&action=share&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Share&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:&quot;button-wrapper&quot;}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary button-wrapper" href="https://www.thecircleoffreethinkers.com/p/before-you-love-anyone?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email&utm_content=share&action=share"><span>Share</span></a></p><div><hr></div><div class="subscription-widget-wrap-editor" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://www.thecircleoffreethinkers.com/subscribe?&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Subscribe&quot;,&quot;language&quot;:&quot;en&quot;}" data-component-name="SubscribeWidgetToDOM"><div class="subscription-widget show-subscribe"><div class="preamble"><p class="cta-caption">Thanks for being here inside The Circle Of Freethinkers &#8211; pull up a chair.</p></div><form class="subscription-widget-subscribe"><input type="email" class="email-input" name="email" placeholder="Type your email&#8230;" tabindex="-1"><input type="submit" class="button primary" value="Subscribe"><div class="fake-input-wrapper"><div class="fake-input"></div><div class="fake-button"></div></div></form></div></div><div><hr></div><p>Until next time, Freethinkers&#8230; stay present, be pleasant, and have an amazing day &#128591;</p><p>Mike Messeroff<br><em>Founder of <a href="http://mikemesseroff.com">The Carpe Diem Company</a><br><a href="https://mikemesseroff.com/workwithmike">Personal Freedom Coach</a> and Creator of Self-Hospitality&#8482;<br>Author of <a href="https://mikemesseroff.com/dogsgetit">Dogs Get It: Advice I learned from my best friend</a></em></p>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[Am I at ease?]]></title><description><![CDATA[Feeling at ease comes from noticing when I&#8217;m not.]]></description><link>https://www.thecircleoffreethinkers.com/p/am-i-at-ease</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.thecircleoffreethinkers.com/p/am-i-at-ease</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Mike Messeroff]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Thu, 30 Apr 2026 20:15:01 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://api.substack.com/feed/podcast/196041972/d7b12d6ee96979bf58d8e723ec4562ff.mp3" length="0" type="audio/mpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><strong>Welcome, Freethinker &#8212; take a deep breath.</strong></p><p><strong>Check in with your body. Are you holding any tension?</strong></p><p><em><strong>*I recorded this poem, and you can listen right here inside The Circle Of Freethinkers.</strong></em></p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!BbSp!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F24d9ce12-9dbf-41e7-be74-3581c1fa630a_5712x4284.jpeg" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!BbSp!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F24d9ce12-9dbf-41e7-be74-3581c1fa630a_5712x4284.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!BbSp!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F24d9ce12-9dbf-41e7-be74-3581c1fa630a_5712x4284.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!BbSp!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F24d9ce12-9dbf-41e7-be74-3581c1fa630a_5712x4284.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!BbSp!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F24d9ce12-9dbf-41e7-be74-3581c1fa630a_5712x4284.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!BbSp!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F24d9ce12-9dbf-41e7-be74-3581c1fa630a_5712x4284.jpeg" width="1456" height="1941" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/24d9ce12-9dbf-41e7-be74-3581c1fa630a_5712x4284.jpeg&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:1941,&quot;width&quot;:1456,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:3944278,&quot;alt&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/jpeg&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:false,&quot;topImage&quot;:true,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:&quot;https://www.thecircleoffreethinkers.com/i/195574708?img=https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F24d9ce12-9dbf-41e7-be74-3581c1fa630a_5712x4284.jpeg&quot;,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="" title="" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!BbSp!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F24d9ce12-9dbf-41e7-be74-3581c1fa630a_5712x4284.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!BbSp!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F24d9ce12-9dbf-41e7-be74-3581c1fa630a_5712x4284.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!BbSp!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F24d9ce12-9dbf-41e7-be74-3581c1fa630a_5712x4284.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!BbSp!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F24d9ce12-9dbf-41e7-be74-3581c1fa630a_5712x4284.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw" fetchpriority="high"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg aria-hidden="true" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><p>Am I at ease,<br>At ease in this moment?<br>Oof, there&#8217;s a question that stings sometimes,<br>Don&#8217;t it?</p><p>I thought that I was,<br>But now my neck is quite tight,<br>I&#8217;m clenching my jaw,<br>And something else&#8230; not quite right.</p><p>My shoulders are high,<br>My breathing is short.<br>I&#8217;m not relaxed at all,<br>No, nothing of the sort.</p><p>I&#8217;m frantic.<br>I&#8217;m thinking.<br>I&#8217;m racing.<br>I&#8217;m fried.</p><p>I&#8217;m wound up.<br>I&#8217;m bound up.<br>All ground up,<br>Inside.</p><p>Mind churns, heart burns,<br>But my fate is not sealed.<br>I have energy to lose,<br>Or power to wield.</p><p>For here is a choice,<br>A fork in the road.<br>On one path, I find peace&#8230;<br>On the other, I implode.</p><p>Do I continue the stampede,<br>And race to my death?<br>Or finally let it go,<br>And take one long, deep breath.</p><p>It&#8217;s no question at all,<br>This is my shot.<br>I&#8217;ve learned that feeling at ease,<br>Comes from noticing when I&#8217;m not.</p><p></p><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://www.thecircleoffreethinkers.com/p/am-i-at-ease/comments&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Leave a comment&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:&quot;button-wrapper&quot;}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary button-wrapper" href="https://www.thecircleoffreethinkers.com/p/am-i-at-ease/comments"><span>Leave a comment</span></a></p><div><hr></div><p><em>If this resonated, share the love with someone who could use it today.</em></p><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://www.thecircleoffreethinkers.com/p/am-i-at-ease?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email&utm_content=share&action=share&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Share&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:&quot;button-wrapper&quot;}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary button-wrapper" href="https://www.thecircleoffreethinkers.com/p/am-i-at-ease?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email&utm_content=share&action=share"><span>Share</span></a></p><div><hr></div><div class="subscription-widget-wrap-editor" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://www.thecircleoffreethinkers.com/subscribe?&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Subscribe&quot;,&quot;language&quot;:&quot;en&quot;}" data-component-name="SubscribeWidgetToDOM"><div class="subscription-widget show-subscribe"><div class="preamble"><p class="cta-caption">Thanks for reading The Circle Of Freethinkers! Pull up a chair.</p></div><form class="subscription-widget-subscribe"><input type="email" class="email-input" name="email" placeholder="Type your email&#8230;" tabindex="-1"><input type="submit" class="button primary" value="Subscribe"><div class="fake-input-wrapper"><div class="fake-input"></div><div class="fake-button"></div></div></form></div></div><div><hr></div><p>Until next time, Freethinkers&#8230; stay present, be pleasant, and have an amazing day &#128591;</p><p>Mike Messeroff<br><em>Founder of <a href="http://mikemesseroff.com">The Carpe Diem Company</a><br><a href="https://mikemesseroff.com/workwithmike">Personal Freedom Coach</a>, Creator of Self-Hospitality&#8482; and The Extraordinary<br>Author of <a href="https://mikemesseroff.com/dogsgetit">Dogs Get It: Advice I learned from my best friend</a></em></p>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[She said, "Let's quit, sell all our shit, and move to the Caribbean!"]]></title><description><![CDATA[People think it&#8217;s the unknown that&#8217;s scary. It&#8217;s not.]]></description><link>https://www.thecircleoffreethinkers.com/p/she-said-lets-quit</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.thecircleoffreethinkers.com/p/she-said-lets-quit</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Mike Messeroff]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Wed, 22 Apr 2026 15:05:33 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!TTGT!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fa7676ddb-f50d-4709-8127-d67c53522b61_1936x2592.jpeg" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><strong>Welcome, Freethinker &#8212;&nbsp;take a deep breath.</strong></p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!TTGT!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fa7676ddb-f50d-4709-8127-d67c53522b61_1936x2592.jpeg" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!TTGT!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fa7676ddb-f50d-4709-8127-d67c53522b61_1936x2592.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!TTGT!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fa7676ddb-f50d-4709-8127-d67c53522b61_1936x2592.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!TTGT!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fa7676ddb-f50d-4709-8127-d67c53522b61_1936x2592.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!TTGT!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fa7676ddb-f50d-4709-8127-d67c53522b61_1936x2592.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!TTGT!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fa7676ddb-f50d-4709-8127-d67c53522b61_1936x2592.jpeg" width="1456" height="1949" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/a7676ddb-f50d-4709-8127-d67c53522b61_1936x2592.jpeg&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:1949,&quot;width&quot;:1456,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:1396686,&quot;alt&quot;:null,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/jpeg&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:false,&quot;topImage&quot;:true,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:&quot;https://www.thecircleoffreethinkers.com/i/194735595?img=https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fa7676ddb-f50d-4709-8127-d67c53522b61_1936x2592.jpeg&quot;,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!TTGT!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fa7676ddb-f50d-4709-8127-d67c53522b61_1936x2592.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!TTGT!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fa7676ddb-f50d-4709-8127-d67c53522b61_1936x2592.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!TTGT!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fa7676ddb-f50d-4709-8127-d67c53522b61_1936x2592.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!TTGT!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fa7676ddb-f50d-4709-8127-d67c53522b61_1936x2592.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw" fetchpriority="high"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg aria-hidden="true" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><p><strong>&#8220;Let&#8217;s quit, sell all our shit, and move to the Caribbean!&#8221;</strong></p><p>Alisa &#8212; my wife of two years &#8212; drops this bomb just as I&#8217;m crossing the threshold from the hallway into our modern Manhattan high-rise condo.</p><p>I walk across the wooden floors and glance out at the perfect New York City sunset &#8212; rays of gold and pink wrapping pier after pier along the Hudson River. A cruise ship fades into the veil of evening shade, along with the sightseeing boats&#8230; and the mighty U.S.S. Intrepid.</p><p>I plop down into the plush brown leather recliner &#8212; I&#8217;ll save the massage chair for later&#8230; after some wine.</p><p>We&#8217;re in for an interesting night.</p><p>&#8220;I take it you didn&#8217;t get it?&#8221; I ask &#8212; a question that needs no answer.</p><p>&#8220;No! This is the THIRD TIME!&#8221; Alisa is bursting.</p><div class="pullquote"><p>&#8220;He said they love me.<br>I&#8217;m doing great work.<br>I <em>earned</em> it&#8212;</p><p>But&#8230;</p><p>Numbers are down &#8212; it&#8217;s publishing, after all.<br>So it&#8217;s just not in the budget.<br>I&#8217;m sorry.&#8221;</p></div><p>&#8220;Then what?&#8221; I ask. I know there&#8217;s more. The energy is different this time &#8212; not like the first two, when the promotion was promised&#8230; then pulled away.</p><p><strong>Smiling widely, she says, &#8220;I said &#8216;fuck you&#8217; to my boss.&#8221;</strong></p><p>Okay. This time it&#8217;s real.</p><p>Do I REALLY want to quit, sell everything, and move to the Caribbean?</p><p>I give it about twenty minutes.</p><p>Just enough time to remember that my favorite part of every day &#8212; for the past five years &#8212; has been my walk at lunch.</p><p>Well&#8230; that, and complaining to Alisa about how my favorite part of my day is my walk at lunch.</p><p><em>She knew my answer before I did.</em></p><p>I walk out of the bedroom and say the three words that change everything:</p><div class="pullquote"><p><strong>&#8220;Let&#8217;s do it.&#8221;</strong></p></div><p>Fifteen years later&#8230;</p><p>I know this much:</p><p><strong>It was never about the Caribbean.</strong></p><p>It was about the moment we stopped negotiating with a life that didn&#8217;t feel true.</p><p>People think it&#8217;s the unknown that&#8217;s scary.</p><p>It&#8217;s not.</p><p>It&#8217;s the intolerable known &#8212;<br>the life you wake up to every day&#8230; knowing there&#8217;s <em>more</em>.</p><p>So if you&#8217;re feeling like a bird in a cage&#8230;</p><p>Welcome.</p><p><strong>This is the moment you realize the cage was never locked.</strong></p><p>Alisa helped me find the door &#8212;&nbsp;perhaps these words help you find yours.</p><p><em>Fly free.</em></p><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://www.thecircleoffreethinkers.com/p/she-said-lets-quit/comments&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Leave a comment&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:null}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="https://www.thecircleoffreethinkers.com/p/she-said-lets-quit/comments"><span>Leave a comment</span></a></p><div><hr></div><p><em>If this resonated, share the love with someone who could use it today.</em></p><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://www.thecircleoffreethinkers.com/p/she-said-lets-quit?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email&utm_content=share&action=share&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Share&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:&quot;button-wrapper&quot;}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary button-wrapper" href="https://www.thecircleoffreethinkers.com/p/she-said-lets-quit?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email&utm_content=share&action=share"><span>Share</span></a></p><div><hr></div><div class="subscription-widget-wrap-editor" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://www.thecircleoffreethinkers.com/subscribe?&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Subscribe&quot;,&quot;language&quot;:&quot;en&quot;}" data-component-name="SubscribeWidgetToDOM"><div class="subscription-widget show-subscribe"><div class="preamble"><p class="cta-caption">Thanks for being here inside The Circle Of Freethinkers &#8211; pull up a chair.</p></div><form class="subscription-widget-subscribe"><input type="email" class="email-input" name="email" placeholder="Type your email&#8230;" tabindex="-1"><input type="submit" class="button primary" value="Subscribe"><div class="fake-input-wrapper"><div class="fake-input"></div><div class="fake-button"></div></div></form></div></div><div><hr></div><p>Until next time, Freethinkers&#8230; stay present, be pleasant, and have an amazing day &#128591;</p><p>Mike Messeroff<br><em>Founder of <a href="http://mikemesseroff.com">The Carpe Diem Company</a><br>Personal Freedom Coach, Creator of Self-Hospitality&#8482;, and <a href="https://mikemesseroff.com/apply">The Extraordinary</a><br>Author of <a href="https://mikemesseroff.com/dogsgetit">Dogs Get It: Advice I learned from my best friend</a></em></p>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[What if life is but a dream?]]></title><description><![CDATA[&#10024; Here you are &#8212; simply for the fun of being you &#10024;]]></description><link>https://www.thecircleoffreethinkers.com/p/the-dreamer</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.thecircleoffreethinkers.com/p/the-dreamer</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Mike Messeroff]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Thu, 16 Apr 2026 11:44:43 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/1c06df23-f24c-405c-85fb-e951247a397e_1290x1032.jpeg" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><strong>Welcome, Freethinker &#8212;&nbsp;take a deep breath.</strong></p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!MWIK!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F2d4f88be-78b5-4c18-a8d1-63d6fe6f0231_1290x1032.jpeg" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!MWIK!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F2d4f88be-78b5-4c18-a8d1-63d6fe6f0231_1290x1032.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!MWIK!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F2d4f88be-78b5-4c18-a8d1-63d6fe6f0231_1290x1032.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!MWIK!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F2d4f88be-78b5-4c18-a8d1-63d6fe6f0231_1290x1032.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!MWIK!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F2d4f88be-78b5-4c18-a8d1-63d6fe6f0231_1290x1032.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!MWIK!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F2d4f88be-78b5-4c18-a8d1-63d6fe6f0231_1290x1032.jpeg" width="1290" height="1032" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/2d4f88be-78b5-4c18-a8d1-63d6fe6f0231_1290x1032.jpeg&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:1032,&quot;width&quot;:1290,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:164793,&quot;alt&quot;:null,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/jpeg&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:false,&quot;topImage&quot;:true,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:&quot;https://www.thecircleoffreethinkers.com/i/193002089?img=https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F2d4f88be-78b5-4c18-a8d1-63d6fe6f0231_1290x1032.jpeg&quot;,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!MWIK!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F2d4f88be-78b5-4c18-a8d1-63d6fe6f0231_1290x1032.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!MWIK!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F2d4f88be-78b5-4c18-a8d1-63d6fe6f0231_1290x1032.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!MWIK!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F2d4f88be-78b5-4c18-a8d1-63d6fe6f0231_1290x1032.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!MWIK!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F2d4f88be-78b5-4c18-a8d1-63d6fe6f0231_1290x1032.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw" fetchpriority="high"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg aria-hidden="true" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><p>what if<br>this is all a dream?<br>your entire life is<br>one night,<br>one dream,<br>that feels like one hundred years.<br>but it&#8217;s one night,<br>one dream.<br>just for fun.<br>just for The Dreamer.</p><p><em>&#8220;Just for The Dreamer&#8221;<br>by Mike Messeroff</em></p><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://www.thecircleoffreethinkers.com/p/the-dreamer/comments&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Leave a comment&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:null}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="https://www.thecircleoffreethinkers.com/p/the-dreamer/comments"><span>Leave a comment</span></a></p><div><hr></div><p><em>If this resonated, share the love with someone who could use it today.</em></p><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://www.thecircleoffreethinkers.com/p/the-dreamer?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email&utm_content=share&action=share&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Share&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:&quot;button-wrapper&quot;}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary button-wrapper" href="https://www.thecircleoffreethinkers.com/p/the-dreamer?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email&utm_content=share&action=share"><span>Share</span></a></p><div><hr></div><div class="subscription-widget-wrap-editor" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://www.thecircleoffreethinkers.com/subscribe?&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Subscribe&quot;,&quot;language&quot;:&quot;en&quot;}" data-component-name="SubscribeWidgetToDOM"><div class="subscription-widget show-subscribe"><div class="preamble"><p class="cta-caption">Thanks for being here inside The Circle Of Freethinkers &#8211; pull up a chair.</p></div><form class="subscription-widget-subscribe"><input type="email" class="email-input" name="email" placeholder="Type your email&#8230;" tabindex="-1"><input type="submit" class="button primary" value="Subscribe"><div class="fake-input-wrapper"><div class="fake-input"></div><div class="fake-button"></div></div></form></div></div><div><hr></div><p>Until next time, Freethinkers&#8230; stay present, be pleasant, and have the best day of your life &#128591;</p><p>Mike Messeroff<br><em>Founder of <a href="http://mikemesseroff.com">The Carpe Diem Company</a><br>Personal Freedom Coach &amp; Creator of <a href="https://self-hospitality.com/">Self-Hospitality</a><br>Author of <a href="https://www.mikemesseroff.com/dogs-get-it">Dogs Get It: Advice I learned from my best friend</a></em></p>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[The Woodworker — And the Cost of “More”]]></title><description><![CDATA[Some poor souls never feel worthy of ease.]]></description><link>https://www.thecircleoffreethinkers.com/p/the-woodworker</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.thecircleoffreethinkers.com/p/the-woodworker</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Mike Messeroff]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Mon, 13 Apr 2026 20:46:09 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!DeKB!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F0bc8d17d-c0b3-41e1-8506-4ead5fdc69b8_1536x1024.png" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><strong>Welcome, Freethinker &#8212;&nbsp;take a deep breath.</strong></p><p>I knew an upstanding man,<br>Outstandingly good,<br>At carving creations,<br>And whittling wood.</p><p>He had dreams of a toyshop,<br>But oh so much more&#8212;<br>Every toy handmade,<br>Carved right there in the store!</p><p>He could envision it in his town,<br>But then ego and greed,<br>Whispered, <em>grow bigger&#8212;</em><br><em>And you&#8217;ll finally be freed.</em></p><p>His dreams grew too fast,<br>Ambition spread like disease.<br>Some poor souls never,<br>Feel worthy of ease.</p><p>His beautiful dream,<br>Was dead on arrival.<br>Dreams don&#8217;t stand a chance,<br>When living in survival.</p><p>He never learned the lesson,<br>To follow his bliss.<br>Kept chasing the money,<br>Joy, forever, he&#8217;d miss.</p><p>In the end, he lost his savings,<br>Lost all that was real.<br>Now spends dusty days hunched over,<br>Whittling for his next meal.</p><p><strong>&#8220;The Woodworker&#8221;<br>by Mike Messeroff</strong></p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" 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stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://www.thecircleoffreethinkers.com/p/the-woodworker/comments&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Leave a comment&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:null}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="https://www.thecircleoffreethinkers.com/p/the-woodworker/comments"><span>Leave a comment</span></a></p><div><hr></div><p><em>If this resonated, share the love with someone who could use it today.</em></p><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://www.thecircleoffreethinkers.com/p/the-woodworker?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email&utm_content=share&action=share&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Share&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:&quot;button-wrapper&quot;}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary button-wrapper" href="https://www.thecircleoffreethinkers.com/p/the-woodworker?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email&utm_content=share&action=share"><span>Share</span></a></p><div><hr></div><div class="subscription-widget-wrap-editor" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://www.thecircleoffreethinkers.com/subscribe?&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Subscribe&quot;,&quot;language&quot;:&quot;en&quot;}" data-component-name="SubscribeWidgetToDOM"><div class="subscription-widget show-subscribe"><div class="preamble"><p class="cta-caption">Thanks for being here inside The Circle Of Freethinkers &#8211; pull up a chair.</p></div><form class="subscription-widget-subscribe"><input type="email" class="email-input" name="email" placeholder="Type your email&#8230;" tabindex="-1"><input type="submit" class="button primary" value="Subscribe"><div class="fake-input-wrapper"><div class="fake-input"></div><div class="fake-button"></div></div></form></div></div><div><hr></div><p>Until next time, Freethinkers&#8230; stay present, be pleasant, and have an amazing day &#128591;</p><p>Mike Messeroff<br><em>Founder of <a href="http://mikemesseroff.com">The Carpe Diem Company</a><br>Personal Freedom Coach &amp; Creator of <a href="https://self-hospitality.com/">Self-Hospitality</a><br>Author of <a href="https://www.mikemesseroff.com/dogs-get-it">Dogs Get It: Advice I learned from my best friend</a></em></p>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[I stop everything to make him his drink]]></title><description><![CDATA[A tribute to the legendary Trygve Berge &#10084;&#65039;]]></description><link>https://www.thecircleoffreethinkers.com/p/trygve-berge</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.thecircleoffreethinkers.com/p/trygve-berge</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Mike Messeroff]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Tue, 07 Apr 2026 22:36:51 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!UNOc!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fbdc6e68b-c5e7-4616-9c36-20226988ee41_4032x3024.jpeg" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><strong>Welcome, Freethinker &#8212;&nbsp;take a deep breath.</strong></p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!UNOc!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fbdc6e68b-c5e7-4616-9c36-20226988ee41_4032x3024.jpeg" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!UNOc!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fbdc6e68b-c5e7-4616-9c36-20226988ee41_4032x3024.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!UNOc!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fbdc6e68b-c5e7-4616-9c36-20226988ee41_4032x3024.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!UNOc!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fbdc6e68b-c5e7-4616-9c36-20226988ee41_4032x3024.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!UNOc!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fbdc6e68b-c5e7-4616-9c36-20226988ee41_4032x3024.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!UNOc!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fbdc6e68b-c5e7-4616-9c36-20226988ee41_4032x3024.jpeg" width="1456" height="1092" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/bdc6e68b-c5e7-4616-9c36-20226988ee41_4032x3024.jpeg&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:1092,&quot;width&quot;:1456,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:2341417,&quot;alt&quot;:null,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/jpeg&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:false,&quot;topImage&quot;:true,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:&quot;https://www.thecircleoffreethinkers.com/i/193519015?img=https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fbdc6e68b-c5e7-4616-9c36-20226988ee41_4032x3024.jpeg&quot;,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!UNOc!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fbdc6e68b-c5e7-4616-9c36-20226988ee41_4032x3024.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!UNOc!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fbdc6e68b-c5e7-4616-9c36-20226988ee41_4032x3024.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!UNOc!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fbdc6e68b-c5e7-4616-9c36-20226988ee41_4032x3024.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!UNOc!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fbdc6e68b-c5e7-4616-9c36-20226988ee41_4032x3024.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw" fetchpriority="high"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg aria-hidden="true" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><p>&#8220;I&#8217;ll take an Old Fashioned, a Manhattan, a glass of Cab, and a Coors Light.&#8221;<br>&#8220;Check please.&#8221;<br>&#8220;Can you make this sweeter?&#8221;<br>&#8220;Do you have change for a twenty?&#8221;<br>&#8220;Can you make this less sweet?&#8221;<br>&#8220;I&#8217;d like an order of escargot and truffle fries.&#8221;<br>&#8220;What&#8217;s the happy hour special?&#8221;<br>&#8220;What kind of coffee drinks can you make?<br>&#8220;Can I have more water please?&#8221;</p><p>Oh, just a normal ski-season Friday happy hour in Breckenridge, Colorado &#8212; inside the warm and cozy, buzzing and jam-packed saloon at the Briar Rose Chophouse&#8230;</p><p>And I&#8217;m in the zone.</p><p>Octopus arms in full effect &#8212; Shaking cocktails with a smile, topping up waters, serving dinners, slinging drinks for the entire restaurant, tallying checks, constantly tidying up, but then&#8230; in the middle of the rush&#8230; everything stops.</p><p><strong>Because he walks in.</strong></p><p>In his mid-eighties, yet still full of life and charisma, he warms the already-steaming saloon with his classic smile and a wave.</p><div class="pullquote"><p>I also stop everything to make him his drink:</p><p>Whiskey Ginger. Rocks glass. No garnish.</p></div><p>I leave the packed bar to deliver it to him personally with a fresh napkin, taking a few extra moments to say hello and grab a handshake from those rock-crushing paws.</p><p>Not <em>just</em> a Norwegian Olympic skier, one of the founders of Breckenridge ski resort, the creator of Ullr Fest, and an all-around legend&#8230;</p><p><em>Trygve Berge was also my friend.</em></p><p>Over the past decade or so, and despite being fifty years apart, nearly to the day, we enjoyed each other&#8217;s company immensely.</p><p>We went for walks around town, and up and down his mountain.<br>We shared conversations over many cups of coffee, often with Dave Lipka, making it a trio.<br>And we slowed down, laughed, and enjoyed life.</p><p>Trygve, you taught me how to stop and smell the flowers, literally.<br>You taught me that growing old doesn&#8217;t mean growing up.<br>And you taught me the importance of friendship &#8212; at any age.</p><p>I appreciate all you&#8217;ve done for my favorite sport.<br>I appreciate all you&#8217;ve done for Breckenridge, Colorado - a place I love dearly.<br>I appreciate our friendship and all you&#8217;ve taught me.</p><p>And I appreciate you, Tryg.</p><p>SK&#197;L<strong>!</strong></p><p><strong>Trygve Berge<br>(April 13, 1932 - April 2, 2026)</strong></p><div class="image-gallery-embed" data-attrs="{&quot;gallery&quot;:{&quot;images&quot;:[{&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/jpeg&quot;,&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/6d5faa52-5adb-4810-a3de-3c652b703b55_4032x3024.jpeg&quot;},{&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/jpeg&quot;,&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/ba968e0e-0c38-4801-9ae9-b695f1360af0_3024x4032.jpeg&quot;},{&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/jpeg&quot;,&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/9925ab11-50d0-44d4-96e4-45a265521b4b_2102x3153.jpeg&quot;},{&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/jpeg&quot;,&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/383338b1-6ca7-4fa2-8929-9eeab819d047_4898x3265.jpeg&quot;},{&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/jpeg&quot;,&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/aea03500-aa8d-4bad-8b88-eafb6d612a70_3088x2320.jpeg&quot;},{&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/jpeg&quot;,&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/7fcc5605-9bfb-4925-9585-11001fb5620d_4032x3024.jpeg&quot;},{&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/jpeg&quot;,&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/f969192f-0d14-4490-82d3-bf8067a25bd1_4032x3024.jpeg&quot;},{&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/jpeg&quot;,&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/42751e31-d8a8-4baa-b278-5eac1663c777_4032x3024.jpeg&quot;},{&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/jpeg&quot;,&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/cf8920ff-3c89-4207-8cdb-e41d6ae35bff_4898x3265.jpeg&quot;}],&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;alt&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;staticGalleryImage&quot;:{&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/png&quot;,&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/c942a1f9-c7a5-4fce-b490-3381f0680b5d_1456x1454.png&quot;}},&quot;isEditorNode&quot;:true}"></div><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://www.thecircleoffreethinkers.com/p/trygve-berge/comments&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Leave a comment&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:null}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="https://www.thecircleoffreethinkers.com/p/trygve-berge/comments"><span>Leave a comment</span></a></p><div><hr></div><p><em>If this resonated, share the love with someone who could use it today.</em></p><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://www.thecircleoffreethinkers.com/p/trygve-berge?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email&utm_content=share&action=share&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Share&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:&quot;button-wrapper&quot;}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary button-wrapper" href="https://www.thecircleoffreethinkers.com/p/trygve-berge?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email&utm_content=share&action=share"><span>Share</span></a></p><div><hr></div><div class="subscription-widget-wrap-editor" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://www.thecircleoffreethinkers.com/subscribe?&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Subscribe&quot;,&quot;language&quot;:&quot;en&quot;}" data-component-name="SubscribeWidgetToDOM"><div class="subscription-widget show-subscribe"><div class="preamble"><p class="cta-caption">Thanks for being here inside The Circle Of Freethinkers &#8211; pull up a chair.</p></div><form class="subscription-widget-subscribe"><input type="email" class="email-input" name="email" placeholder="Type your email&#8230;" tabindex="-1"><input type="submit" class="button primary" value="Subscribe"><div class="fake-input-wrapper"><div class="fake-input"></div><div class="fake-button"></div></div></form></div></div><div><hr></div><p>Until next time, Freethinkers&#8230; stay present, be pleasant, and have the best day of your life &#128591;</p><p>Mike Messeroff<br><em>Founder of <a href="http://mikemesseroff.com">The Carpe Diem Company</a><br>Personal Freedom Coach &amp; Creator of <a href="https://self-hospitality.com/">Self-Hospitality</a><br>Author of <a href="https://www.mikemesseroff.com/dogs-get-it">Dogs Get It: Advice I learned from my best friend</a></em></p>]]></content:encoded></item></channel></rss>