Colton and his cousin Xavier were sitting on the back porch, doing what they did best together.
Absolutely nothing, just hanging out.
Their legs dangled off the edge. A half-empty bag of chips sat between them. Now somewhere inside the house, there was an adult, and they were probably doing something responsible, but out here, it was carefree and time seem to move slow.
Colton sighed.
Not a normal sigh. A something-is-wrong-with-the-universe sigh.
Xavier glanced over.
“What?”
Colton shook his head slowly. “I don’t know. I just feel… annoyed.”
“About what?”
Colton paused. He looked out at the yard, then at the chips, then back at Xavier.
“I don’t know.”
Xavier nodded seriously. “That’s the worst kind.”
Colton sighed again. “I was fine five minutes ago.”
“So what happened in the last five minutes?”
Colton thought. “Nothing.”
Xavier tilted his head. “That sounds suspicious.”
They sat quietly for a moment.
Then Colton said, “Actually… it might be the sandwich.”
Xavier blinked. “What sandwich?”
“The one I’m going to have later.”
Xavier stared at him. “You’re annoyed about a sandwich you haven’t eaten yet.”
“Yes.”
“Is the sandwich currently doing anything?”
“No.”
“Is it being rude?”
“No.”
“Is it even made yet?”
“No.”
Xavier leaned back. “Interesting.”
Colton frowned. “It’s going to be bad.”
“How do you know?”
“I just know.”
Xavier picked up a chip. “What kind of sandwich is it?”
“Peanut butter and jelly.”
“That’s a good sandwich.”
“Not if the peanut butter is too thick and the jelly leaks out the side and the bread sticks to the roof of your mouth and then you’re thirsty but you already drank all your water and—”
“Whoa, dude.” Xavier said, holding up his hand. “Stop.”
Colton stopped.
Xavier smiled. “You just ate the sandwich in your head.”
Colton paused.
“…I did?”
“Yep. And you hated it.”
They both starting laughing, that kind of laugh that causes a snort, which makes you laugh ever harder
Colton shook his head. “But it feels real.”
Xavier nodded. “Yeah. That’s the tricky part.”
They sat again, watching a bird hop across the grass.
After a moment, Xavier said, “You ever notice how your brain is like one of those apps that runs in the background?”
Colton squinted. “The ones that drain your battery?”
“Exactly.”
Colton laughed. “So my brain is stealing my happiness battery?”
“Right now, yes.”
Colton thought about that. “So how do I close the app?”
Xavier shrugged. “I don’t think you close it. I think you just notice it’s running.”
Colton frowned. “That sounds fake.”
Xavier grinned. “That’s what I thought too.”
Colton leaned back on his hands. “Okay, explain it.”
Xavier pointed to the yard. “See that tree?”
“The big one?”
“Yeah. Pretend you think it’s scary.”
Colton squinted at the tree. “Okay.”
“Now pretend you think it’s just a tree.”
Colton did.
Xavier shrugged. “Same tree.”
Colton blinked. “Huh.”
“And the tree didn’t do anything.”
Colton nodded slowly.
Xavier continued, “Your sandwich hasn’t done anything either.”
Colton laughed. “My sandwich is innocent.”
“it was Completely framed.”
They both giggled till they Cryed.
Colton wiped his eyes. “So thought is kind of like… a storyteller?”
Xavier snapped his fingers. “Yes. A dramatic one.”
Colton put on a deep voice. “COMING SOON. THE WORST SANDWICH OF YOUR LIFE.”
Xavier laughed. “Exactly.”
Colton paused. “But why does it feel so real?”
Xavier thought for a second. “Because consciousness turns the lights on.”
Colton blinked. “What?”
Xavier shrugged. “I don’t know. Papa says it like that.”
Colton smiled. “That actually makes sense.”
They sat quietly again.
After a minute, Colton said, “Wait. So if thought is just making stuff up… why do I believe it so fast?”
Xavier smiled. “Because you forgot you were the one thinking it.”
Colton stared at him. “Whoa.”
Xavier laughed. “That sounded cooler than I meant it.”
“No,” Colton said slowly. “That was good.”
They both went quiet. Colton felt it then.
Not fireworks.Not a big announcement.
Just a soft shift.
“Oh,” he said.
Xavier looked over. “Oh what?”
“I see it.”
“See what?”
“I don’t have to stop thoughts. I just have to notice them.”
Xavier nodded. “Yep.”
“And once I notice them…”
“They kind of lose their grip.”
Colton smiled. “Like realizing a scary movie is just a movie.Or that your sandwich hasn’t even been born yet.”
They both started laughing again, Xavier ask " So what you going to name it, The Doomwich?!"
The boys now were laughing so hard that they were snorting, and their bellies sore like when you do to many sit ups.
Colton finally stood up, smiled and stretched. “I’m not annoyed anymore.”
Xavier grinned. “What changed?”
Colton shrugged. “Nothing.”
They headed inside, the Doomwich was still waiting quietly on the counter, completely unaware of the trouble it had almost caused.
Three Principles in Action
1. Mind is the quiet intelligence behind the scenes. It’s what allowed Colton to suddenly see something new without forcing it. No effort. No fixing. Just a natural insight when things slowed down.
2. Consciousness is what made Colton’s imagined sandwich feel real before it ever existed. It’s the light that turns thoughts into lived experience, whether the thought is silly, scary, or peaceful.
3.Thought did all the work here. It created the problem, added sound effects, and convinced Colton it was serious. Once he noticed thought for what it was, the whole issue softened on its own.
Final Thought
Thought is incredibly powerful.
So powerful that it can ruin a perfectly good afternoon over a sandwich that hasn’t even been made yet.
The good news?
You don’t have to fight it.
You don’t have to fix it.
Sometimes all it takes is noticing,
“Oh… this is just thought doing its thing.”
And just like that, the sandwich goes back to being lunch.
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