Saying “I’ll try something new today” and never doing it.
SAYING “I’LL TRY SOMETHING NEW TODAY” AND NEVER DOING IT.
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Remember that familiar hum of the dining hall, a symphony of clanking trays and hushed conversations? For all the groundbreaking research and world-changing ideas brewing, our palates often stuck to a surprisingly rigid script. Every morning, the same bagel. Every lunch, the predictable deli sandwich. Every dinner, perhaps the pasta bar, just like yesterday. We’d stand in line, eyes scanning the menu, a fleeting thought: "Today, I'll finally brave the mystery meatloaf." But then, comfort, speed, and the sheer mental exhaustion of everything else would win, pulling us back to the well-trodden path of the familiar. It wasn't just a food choice; it was a micro-ritual, a silent testament to the repetition and routine that grounded us amidst the academic maelstrom.
This wasn't about a lack of adventurous spirit. Far from it. We were constantly challenging norms in lectures and labs, but the cafeteria, ironically, became our sanctuary of the known. Why expend precious cognitive load on deciding between the artisanal kale salad and the reliable pizza slice when a five-page paper on quantum physics awaited? Those midnight snacks, too, followed a pattern – instant ramen, leftover cookies, anything that required minimal thought and maximum fuel. It became an unconscious ritual, a comfort blanket in a world demanding constant innovation and critical thinking.
Yet, now, looking back, don't those simple, repetitive meals evoke a powerful nostalgia? The taste of that consistent chicken stir-fry, the predictable crisp of a side salad – they’re woven into the fabric of our college chronicles. Perhaps the real "something new" wasn't about the food itself, but acknowledging that even in our most structured environments, a tiny deviation can spark a new memory. So next time you're faced with a choice, whether in a campus dining hall or a high-stakes meeting, consider this: what if today *is* the day for that mystery meatloaf? Or just a different route to the coffee machine?