In Memory of the Fallen

"You know, what I miss the most about being single", my married friend told me. "It's not the late night binging or freedom of speech. One learns to live without those things after a while. It's the little things one misses the most. When I was single," he said almost wistfully, "I used to eat over the sink all the the time. Saved me so much time and energy. But now... now we have to sit on the table, and eat off dinner plates like civilised people. Oh, but heaven forbid if we use the 'nice china'; oh no, that's only for special occasions. You know, I used to enjoy my dinner over the sink. Now I just try to gulp down my meals as fast as possible. Sometimes I don't even bother to chew anymore".

As I listened to my friend ramble on, I felt truly sorry for him. I tched and I tchahed, and with a heavy heart I realized just how often we take things for granted, without so much as sparing a thought for the less fortunate. Now, whenever I stuff my face over the sink because I'm too lazy to wash my week-old pile of dirty dishes, I can't help feel a pang of remorse for the underprivileged members of society. As I brush the crumbs off my three-day old stubble, my friend's anguish-ridden face flashes in front of my eyes. He was a brave one, he was. That's what makes this so sad.