Living in the past

Ashwin Goyal

Nov 24, 2023 — 1 min read

I look at an old, crinkled photograph, and in an instant, I'm whisked back – a small child again, cradled in his mother's arms. Her soothing voice fills the room, hushing the world around me. Her gentle sway rocks me, the rhythm like a heartbeat, steady and reassuring.

This glosses over the sound of my elder brother crying in the background, feeling unseen. This forgets how my mother had to quit her job, sacrificing her career to hold her newborn. And this overlooks how I used to wet the bed, leaving me dirtily restless.

It’s strange how time has a way of smoothening out the rough edges of the past, making everything seem just a bit more faultless than it probably was. Yet, this past is so inviting, so alluring, that I find myself longing to live there, in its perfect, untouchable memory.

Prepping for doomsday

I've always been captivated by the idea of the world starting over. I picture a raw and primal existence where it's just me against the elements. I imagine waking up to the sound of birds instead of traffic, hunting for food in the forests, and sitting

Taking a cold shower

Okay, I understand the science of cold showering, how the fear triggers the fight-or-flight response, makes the brain sharper and all that jazz. It’s great in theory, as long as my mind, the one narrating this, can overpower my body’s instincts. So, I’m there, all pumped up,