There is nothing as painful as investing a lot of energy into something, only for it to go to waste.
Ever since my gas ran out on Thursday night, I've been surviving on food that doesn't require cooking with gas. Did you ask why I didn't refill my gas? Good question! The nearest gas station is quite far from the village where I'm serving.
Since the next market day wasn't until Sunday, I decided to push through until then, when I could fill up my gas and get some basic items at the market too. They call it "killing two birds with one stone" right?
Although the gas station and the market were on different routes, my transportation costs were still somewhat saved.
At first, carrying a partially filled 3kg cylinder with 2kg of gas around the market was exhausting. However, I eventually pleaded with a trader to let me keep my cylinder at her selling space temporarily while I shopped, and she kindly agreed
It had been a long time since I'd had soup, so I was craving Egusi soup. To satisfy my craving, I bought the necessary ingredients to make the soup, along with some other essentials.
Who returns from shopping at the market without feeling weak and exhausted? I certainly did, but my cravings gave me the motivation to keep going.
Finally, my Egusi soup was ready, served with swallow (made from wheat flour), and it was delicious! Eating it was like when Jesus said "Peace! Be still!" to that great storm he and his disciples encountered on the Sea of Galilee, and it ceased—I felt incredibly relaxed and calm after enjoying my meal.
If you're familiar with Egusi soup, you should know it doesn't like numerous hands scooping from it; it gets spoiled easily, so you have to reheat it.
I was about to go to bed when I remembered I hadn't warmed up my Egusi soup yet; it was a few minutes to 11:00 P.M.
I couldn't just let my efforts go to waste, so I went ahead to light my cylinder, placed the pot of Egusi soup on it, and returned to bed to wait for the soup to warm up.
I suddenly woke up around 12:15 A.M. to find that I must have dozed off while the soup was on the fire for over an hour.
I rushed to turn off the gas and was disappointed and saddened by the sight of my soup when I opened the pot. I had barely eaten the soup and everything was burnt! Just like that?! Arrghhh!
I can hear your thoughts: "Didn't you perceive the burning soup?" "What kind of sleep did you have?" "Wasn't your room smoky enough to wake you up?" Hmmm, I myself don't even know, but I'm safe, glory to God.
I wish I could just go back in time; maybe if I hadn't bothered to reheat the soup, maybe if I had taken the risk to leave it till the next day, maybe my Egusi soup wouldn't have been offered as a burnt offering - one that's nowhere close to the ones God likes, which I'm pretty sure He didn't accept. Maybe if...