Five and a six
5. Food: What’s for breakfast? Dinner? Lunch? Or maybe you could write a poem about that time you met a friend at a cafe. (02/22/2023)
As a kid, I ate anything that I could find if I wasn’t full. My favorite meal was always cooked rice with some milk, lentils, curry and a sunny up fried egg with ghee (clarified cow butter). I didn’t drink as much water so the slight dehydration made me hungrier and I ate till I was full. Calories did not exist. Life was simple, if I was hungry I would eat. If I wasn’t hungry, then I would play video games. I grew up obese and I had to wear XL clothes because of my large belly.
Fast forward to my first year of high school and I learn what calories are, carbs, fats, and protein alongisde vitamins and minerals. Puberty hits and I stopped wanting to be fat. I cut out most snacks and I starting taking exercise more seriously. After a few years, my pants would start to fall if I didn’t wear a belt and my jackets made me look like I just got shot by a shrinking ray. However, I didn’t get as slim as I wanted because my face still looked like a baby and I wanted my chest to be bigger than my stomach.
I dove down the rabbit hole of fitness and meal prepping. I started eating a shit load of protein in the form of chicken breast, protein bars, and lots of whey protein shakes. My relationship with food also changed. Food was no longer something for me to enjoy. Food became a source of fuel and a tool for me to achieve my fitness goals. I stopped caring about wanting to try out new restaurants and new dishes. Food became a habit that I wanted to keep consistent. For almost two months, I ate rice, 3 chicken breasts, and beans for my main meal. Now for two weeks and the next 3 months, I will be eating a chicken wrap with onions and jalapenos twice a day. Some sacrifices have to be made for goals, and to be healthier and fitter, I destroyed my relationship with food. I still enjoy eating out every once in a while, but its not the same as before.
6. Eye Contact: Write about two people seeing each other for the first time. (02/22/2023)
I still remember the first time I saw my brother’s face for the first time in person. I was only 11 years old when I found out that I was going to be a big brother. Growing up as only child for most of my years, I never knew what it was like to have a sibling until now. All I saw was a bald baby with skin so soft that you thought it would deflate if touched it. I stood there looking at his sleeping face for a few seconds before my mom handed me over to him. The moment both my arms wrapped around the blanket he was wearing, I panicked. I was scared that if I didn’t hold tight enough, he might slip and fall but if I held too tight, I might break his fragile bones.
I must have done something wrong because within a minute of holding him, his eyes slowly opened. We both stared into each other’s frightened eyes for a solid 3 seconds before he closed his eyes and started crying. I started panicking and I froze while I was holding him. My dad came into my rescue and took him from my arms. As he started singing some Nepali lullaby accompanied with some swaying left and right, he slowly fell asleep.
My face was filled with shame as I had failed as a big brother. I couldn’t even look at him without feeling some sort of regret. So I hid away in my bedroom with the door locked, safe from a world that is no longer what it used to be.
