I don’t want to be a stick on a log

The speaker did not want to be the only one not joining in on an activity and said this great malaphor. It is a mashup of “stick in the mud” (one who is unadventurous and who resists change) and “bump on a log” (inactive or stupidly silent). Both idioms describe someone who is not motivated or is resistant to progress. It’s not quite a congruent conflation but very close. A “stick” and a “log” are both made of wood, making this mental mixup happen. A big thanks to Sally Minnock for unintentionally uttering this one and to Katie Minnock for sending it in!