The Girl Who Stared Into the Fridge

Back in 2013, I wrote a piece about how we let our dreams rot while standing in front of the fridge, door wide open.
I was 18 then. A rookie. A kid with big dreams and the passion to make them real.
The piece began like this;

Sometimes, the voice inside you whispers, ‘‘Go to the fridge. Everything that’ll ease your troubles, happiness itself, is there.’’ And then, as if remote-controlled, like a robot, you walk to the fridge and open the door. You stare for a long while… Then, taking nothing, you shut it and wonder.
Why did I come here again?I must’ve stood too long in front of that open fridge, because somewhere along the way, I forgot why I was there. Why I started writing. Most painfully, I forgot my dreams. They spoiled.
For years, I waited in front of many doors. Doors I believed would bring me happiness.
In the end, they were doors I opened only out of boredom, hoping for something I didn’t even want, avoiding the extra calories of disappointment.
But I had dreams folded into the wings of a crane, and I had to let them fly.So I closed every door where hope fell short.
Some doors closed on their own.
Still, I had promises I made to myself.
To never throw my life away for fleeting joys.Behind every door I opened, I saw others feasting people with privilege in their hands.
‘Do you want some? It’s so good.’
Often, they were the ones who least deserved it.
So I shut the door quietly. And walked away.And when the last door closed behind me,
I began writing again,
asking myself why I was here, what I was thinking.With the same sharpened spoon I used to stir soup, I gave direction to my dreams.
My ideas were born from hunger. A hunger to cook and to write.That’s why I’m here.
To feed this hunger.
For myself.
For my dreams.And so I opened a new door for myself,
leaving the others behind,
with a bittersweet smile and a heart full of memory.I drew strength from the beautiful meals of my own kitchen
and I began again.I looked back at my dreams.‘‘What am I trying to say?’’
If you have a dream, follow it.
Don’t linger in front of fridges that hold no dreams.
Think.
Envision what you want to do. Then go stand in front of that fridge.You’re about to grab a snack you don’t really want.
It might feel good while eating, but hours later, you’ll regret it.So instead, fold a paper crane.
Wait for the day you’ll set it free.
Wait as long as you must.
In the end, you’ll eat the meal you truly love.
The one worth a lifetime.