After successfully stuffing my face after my 24 hour fast, I can think straight again and focus on the task at hand. I was not only hungry, I was hangry! My hardest hurdle to overcome was from 5 pm-8pm. I was home and all my roommates were discussing dinner ideas so I had to leave the house before I accidentally ate something. On the bright side I did get a lot accomplished on my lunch break!
It is easy for me to make jokes about the private struggles I had while completing this assignment because I knew the whole time that I would eventually be able to eat again. I hadn't done a fast in a while so it was a good time for me to try something to focus on someone else, not on myself. Throughout the day, I realized how much I kept making excuses for myself. I would catch myself reaching for the candy bowl in the office. My brain would try to justify the need for a piece of candy because it's only one piece, right? If you came in the office, you would literally see me bickering with myself on whether or not I should eat something or not. Embarrassing, yes.
This challenge not necessarily impacted my educational experience so much as it impacted my way of thinking about myself. These past few months I have been struggling to set goals and reach them. I get my to do list done but personal goals don't really happen (gym time, better eating habits, yoga in the am). With the completion of this project, I feel more confident in myself to actually push myself again and that I can do it. Sometimes I get bogged down in the little details of what I have to do and panic between work, school, and clubs.
I wonder what would happen if everyone in the US fasted for one day a year and donated the $25-$50 they would spend that day on food, would we make a difference? Would we have a lot of participation? I know they have tried to do it in the past but I really do think it would be a great way for people to not only reconnect with their food source but also connect with one another. My roommate would text me and keep me energized throughout the whole day yesterday and that helped a lot. It would be awesome to see an entire nation join hands and help each through a 24 hour famine!
Great post, Kellie! I like your idea of a national day of famine. A lot of cultures and religions do have ritual fasts. I've talked to friends about why they fast during Ramadan, and at least part of it is about empathizing with the less fortunate.
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