Hit 10,000 steps for the first time in a blue moon and it kinda broke my brain

So there I was, walking back from the train station after a long day at the help desk, and my phone buzzes with that stupid fitness notification. 10,000 steps. I haven't hit that number since maybe last Thanksgiving when I ran around the block trying to burn off pie. At first I felt proud, like I was some kind of health guru. But then I realized I only hit it because I spent an hour pacing around my kitchen on hold with Comcast. It felt fake, you know? Like the milestone was technically true but totally meaningless. I got to thinking about all those random numbers we chase in life, like salary goals or follower counts. They look good on paper but the story behind them matters way more. Has anyone else ever hit a big number for a stupid reason and felt weird about it?

4 comments

4 Comments

the_jennifer1mo ago

And that Comcast hold music will do it to you every time, right? It's like the universe giving you a participation trophy for dealing with the most boring part of your day.

uma_ellis1mo ago

Give @vera514 credit for timing it because I did the same thing once and it was 43 minutes, not 47, lol. But honestly that's splitting hairs when you're stuck listening to the same three notes on a loop for almost an hour. It's like they found the one song that makes you forget why you called in the first place.

vera5141mo agoTop Commenter

$19.99 a month for 25 meg speeds, that's what I was paying in 2015. @the_jennifer it's not just the hold music, it's the psychological warfare of knowing you'll be on hold for exactly 47 minutes. I timed it once. The lady's voice comes back right when you finally get comfortable. Then they ask for your account number you already typed in three times. I swear they do it on purpose.

the_xena1mo agoTop Commenter

The psychological warfare" - YES that's exactly what it is. I'm pretty sure I've developed some kind of Pavlovian eye twitch every time that automated lady says "your call is very important to us." And then they ask for the account number again and I'm like "well congrats, you've now successfully reset my brain to factory settings, there's no way I remember it now.