Breakfast is for Wimps - Why I Stay Hungry

I never eat breakfast.

Yes, despite all the health magazine articles warning of the correlation between a breakfastless diet and sloth/poor health, I refuse to put calories into my body until the afternoon. Why would I do this?

When I wake up, my senses are keen: my eyes draw more light, my coffee burns hotter when I scald my hand, and the sounds of rushing cars electrify my ears. My recall is quick, and with my dreams still chasing through my memory my mind is off to a rousing start. Every old idea has turned in the soil of my mind and sprouted overnight. The new ideas, like sugar on a dormant palate, are newly falling and kindling fresh fire in my head. Every second feels vital, precious, and alive. I am hungry, yearning.

I wouldn't trade this feeling for a bowl of grits or a banana. I wouldn't crack a box of Cocoa Puffs and oversaturate my senses. The eggs can wait -- I have plans for them later.

"But doesn't your hunger distract you?"

It does more than distract me -- it's the only thing I think about. I hunger to learn new things, to build new empires, to create and love the world around me. I hunger for things that are outside of myself, beyond my reach -- not a few feet away in the fridge.

Many of us do not know real hunger, and for that we are lucky. However, in being so lucky, it is easy to become complacent, to think that all of our longings will simply fall into our lap. To know what it means to strive, we should all learn, if only a little bit, what it means to starve. In the expectant soil of an empty stomach we can cultivate our desires. When we do this, we can know true inner power and freedom.

So thanks, but no thanks on breakfast. Eat your bagel -- I'll stay hungry.