A new fortune teller has become quite popular on TikTok in recent weeks. Noodle the 13 year old pug makes the decision every morning whether it is a “Bones Day” or a “No Bones Day” when his human, Jonathan Graziano from New York, props Noddle up on his furry legs to see if he will stay on his feet or flop back down into his doggy bed. This sweet dog’s ability to stay upright has become an internet sensation, giving people what seems like a reading from a crystal ball about how their days will proceed.
Noodle sometimes has a hard time staying up on his paws, but how can we blame him? He’s carrying the entire weight of how people’s day will go on his shoulders. On Bones Days, we treat ourselves. We take risks and indulge. We ask out the cute person we saw at the Laundry Day concert. We eat dessert at lunch and dinner (and maybe even breakfast). And on No Bones Days, we play it safe and take it easy on ourselves. We ask our professors for extensions with no regrets. We spend some time color coding our Google Calendar.
What’s particularly interesting about Noodle’s tellings, and his platform that has grown to over 2 million users in the past few months, is that there seems to be some truth to his forecasts. Someone posted on TikTok in response to Noodle’s videos saying that they felt empowered to give their two-weeks notice at work on a Bones Day. Another user attributed their broken coffee machine to a No Bones Day. It was no coincidence that the day Wellesley rowed in the Head of the Charles Regatta and became the fastest DIII program in the country it was a Bones Day!
It is common for people to rely on symbols and signs to develop coping mechanisms for the ups and downs they are presented with throughout life. Noodle has become an iconic metaphor for people’s livelihood, but what the phenomenon of this dog really boils down to is our tendency to externalize control over our lives. Sometimes we just can’t handle the idea that we are at the helm; which is understandable. What we have to keep in mind, particularly as midterms start to pick up during the hump of the semester, is that, bones or no bones, we must stay positive and do our best to make the most of every situation.
How does all of this relate to discussions about wellness? Well, the sources we use for developing positivity and motivation ultimately relate to our well-being. Having a Bones Day outlook on life will keep you going even when you’re struggling through that last PSET problem, or undoubtedly reaching with all of your might to achieve the pesky word count that you always seem to barely miss by a hair for that paper that is hanging hauntingly over your head. Not everyday is a Bones Day, but we can always stand up on our feet (or paws) to take on the day and try to be thoughtful, healthy beings.
