Life Debate: Do What ‘Feels’ Right or What’s ‘Best’ for Us?
A deep struggle most of us don’t seem to see.
I remember in elementary school, after waking up, my mom would prepare breakfast for me — a bowl of cereal and a glass of milk.
I barely touched it.
“Why aren’t you eating?” my mom would ask. I told her I just wasn’t hungry and that if I had to force myself, my stomach would feel queasy.
“But breakfast is healthy. You need food to fuel your brain. Otherwise, how else could you focus and do well in class?”
I stood there for a minute, processing her words at the speed of a snail, trying to decide whether or not I wanted to trust her or my stomach. But before I could say anything, she added, “You know, you’re very lucky to have so many kinds of food to choose from and eat. When I was your age, sometimes we wouldn’t have anything on the table and we would go to school hungry.”
Goddamn it. Why did she have to say that?
I grabbed the bowl and, as much as my stomach coiled, shoved a spoonful of cereal down my throat.
This was about to become my morning ritual for the next 25 years.
…even though it never felt right.
