3 on Thursday
Songs, stories, and things worth noticing. Every Thursday.
Thursday, September 24, 2026 · 3 min read
A little heads-up: My 2027 watercolor calendar launches next Thursday, October 1! Twelve original paintings, one for each month. I’ll tell you more and share the link next week.
This week’s 3 on Thursday is sponsored by my friend Steve Haney in Seattle, a fellow believer in “ordinary people,” and offering a kind word or deed whenever we can. Thank you, Steve, for supporting this week’s newsletter.
1. THE STORY
I just took a taxi to a coffee shop. While I was walking toward the entrance along the sidewalk, another taxi pulled up. The passengers in back opened the door, which blocked my path.
I waited for them to get out and head toward the entrance ahead of me, and do you know what a voice in my head said?
“You should be able to order before them because you would have gotten there first had they not blocked the path.”
It wasn’t a loving voice. It was a vindictive one I’ve learned to call “Vindictive Vinny.”
So I brushed off Vinny: “Chill, man! There’s enough food and time for everyone. They didn’t see me. It’s all good, buddy.”
But then the couple went to the wrong entrance. There are two, and they thought the side entrance was an exit-only door. So I went through the side entrance and was ahead of them in line.
Vindictive Vinny said, “Karma, baby. Suckers!” But a second voice, Compassionate Karen, said:
“Why not let them go first?”
I hate it when she shows up.
So there we were: me, Vinny, and Karen. And guess who I sided with?
I ordered my Americano ahead of the couple and refrained from looking at them, which was kind of cowardly, but it’s not like I would have looked at them anyway.
The worker at the till asked me, “Hot or iced?” and I said, “Hot, please”—I’m not a fan of iced coffee at all—and she handed me my number.
I sat down at a table, smiling to myself but also feeling slightly bad. Ultimately, I told myself it was okay and not to worry about it.
That’s when the waitress came toward me, backlit by the large windows and carrying a brown circular tray raised to the level of her ear. She stopped at my table and set down the tray, revealing a very tall glass filled with coffee and ice cubes.
Love,
Aaron
2. LISTEN
Quick update on the album. I hit some snags exporting files from here in Vietnam (nothing to worry about), which means the mixing and mastering have been delayed a bit. I’m still deciding on the album title (let me know if you have ideas!) and the artwork. I’ll put some references up on our shared page soon.
In the meantime, you can keep listening to the premixed, unmastered versions of all ten tracks in The Listening Room →
3. NOTICE
When was the last time you caught a voice in your head being unkind—to yourself or someone else? Have you tried giving it a name and turning it into a caricature?
Tip of the hat to Jim Kwik and his book Limitless, which I highly recommend. “Name it to tame it” is one of many helpful methods I’ve used since reading it.
Support
I’m looking for 11 more people to become monthly supporters by October 1.
Even $3/month is a huge vote of confidence for me to keep going. Seeing your name show up each month as someone who believes in this work means more to me than you might realize.
If you can give more, awesome. But just know that it’s not only the amount. It’s the action of raising your hand in a tangible way and saying, “I want this whole thing to keep going.”
You can sign up easily here:
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