Lesson Two: The Burnt Toast Theory

The next post-grad lesson I’ve learned is perfect for anyone looking to cultivate a more positive outlook on life. So, to all my Eeyores out there, this one's for you, and it’s about burnt toast (and Minecraft, sorta). Enjoy!

I recently listened to a podcast and watched this TikTok, she sighs as she types, about how life might be one big simulation. While I’m not here to debate the validity of this theory, Minecraft, of all things, offers an interesting parallel to this hypothesis. 

Now, I’ve never played Minecraft myself, but after enduring enough time watching the kids I babysit play, I’ve got a decent grasp of the game. In Minecraft, a city, home, or entire universe doesn’t form until you build it. At the beginning, you’re in an empty landscape, and the world around you doesn’t fully “exist” until you start shaping it.

As we’re aware, life isn’t exactly like Minecraft, thank god (sorry kids I babysit). If we’re fortunate enough, our houses and cities are already built for us. But, the “construction” or “creation” of our individual realities comes down to how we choose to perceive the world. If we go into the day with a negative mindset, everything we experience becomes negative too. 

Take, for example, the way you might walk into a room. You could assume that everyone there thinks you’re unattractive and unintelligent. But as my dad loves to remind me, when you assume, you make an "ass" out of "u" and "me." On the flip side, you could enter that same room with the confidence that you belong, that everyone finds you beautiful, and that your presence brings joy. Ultimately, the choice to have a positive life is a single mindset shift away. The reality we experience—perhaps even the simulation we live within, is constructed from the way we decide to interpret the world.

Now, let’s segue this to toast, burnt toast. 

My favorite lesson I’ve learned from the internet thus far comes from a theory about burnt toast. Bear with me here while I set the scene. Imagine you just woke up from a deep sleep and begrudgingly drag yourself out of bed, your body protesting every movement. You stumble over to the window, only to be met with a sky so overcast it could be holding a grudge. You throw on an acceptable outfit for work and, in an effort to curb hangriness, you throw a piece of bread in the toaster while hastily brushing your teeth. I’m guessing you can see where I’m going with this, but let me land the plane. 

Somewhere between the time it took you to wash your toothbrush and walk back into the kitchen, you burnt your toast. If you’re anything like me and can’t function without breakfast, then you definitely need to put in another piece of bread, so now you’re definitely going to be late for work.

You could let this one small mishap, burning your toast, dictate the tone of your entire day, casting a negative shadow over everything that follows. But what if that seemingly insignificant moment, keeping you at home a few extra minutes, meant you actually avoided getting into an accident on the highway? Or, at the very least, saved you from something a little less bleak, had you left on time? 

Sometimes, the universe has a funny way of nudging us in the right direction when we least expect it, and that charred slice of fate might just be your ticket to a better day, it just depends on how you choose to perceive it. The puppet masters running our simulation may have burnt your toast, but that doesn't mean it has to ruin your attitude too. 

I get it, sometimes life throws things at us far worse than burnt toast, and we’re left wondering why bad things happen. It’s not always as simple as convincing yourself that one setback led you to something better, or avoiding something worse. To be honest, I don’t have the answer to this yet. What helps me, and might help you too, is telling yourself that even the most negative or heartbreaking experiences can give you wisdom to pass onto your kids, as sappy as it sounds, this always helps me. That time you made a massive mistake at work (guilty), or experienced heartbreak (also guilty), could one day give you the tools to help your future son or daughter navigate those struggles too. 

I’ll leave you with a quote from Timothée Chalamet during some random Dune interview (even though I’m pretty sure he was quoting some other smart guy): “You can be the master of your fate, and you can be the captain of your soul, but you have to realize that life is coming from you and not at you.” So, the next time the T shuts down for the third time this week or that masshole cuts you off on I-95, maybe see it as a sign that you’re on the right path and exactly where you’re supposed to be. We get to be the architects of our own realities, and I think that’s pretty cool. 

BTW, if you know even the slightest bit of science behind whether life is a simulation, please, dear god, keep it to yourself. Who cares? Just enjoy it (said with love).