The third day into my heat-off experiment, I
stopped eating. Fasting is nothing new. The
Muslims have Ramadan, the Jews fast of the first
born at Passover, Christ and the Apostles fasted,
and my Indian friend told me the family had a big
party after his grandma's 30-day fast. These days,
I heard about it often from the physical
sub-culture here in the US.

That night, outdoor temperature dropped to about
40F and it was hard to get into sleep. At 10:00pm,
my stomach was empty and all I could think of was
food. My feet were cold and the sleeping bag felt
chilly. Three hours of struggle later, I pulled a
comforter on the top and warmed up shortly after
and dozed off. The next morning, my head was a
little cloudy. But I realized what I had done. I replayed,
to a small degree, my childhood winter experience.

An idea came: why not make this an annual event?
A few days before the New Year, turn off the heat,
fast, and take cold showers. Maybe the first is
not always feasible when living with others. But
the last two are within my reach.

Instead of celebrating abundance one holiday after
another, why not indulge in the whim of self-reliance
once in a while, if only to remind myself of the past
that shaped me and show myself that I am still up to it?

[NOTE: I drank water and coffee and ate two apples
during the 48-hr fast.]