Ravi suddenly woke up found himself back in his office chair. The morning sunlight spilling across the desk as if no time had passed. The familiar hum of computers, the soft murmur of colleagues, and the stack of paperwork on his table, all exactly as it had been. He rubbed his temples. Am I dreaming?

As he looked around, flashes of his earlier day came back vividly, the briefcase on the street, the glowing door, the hovering circle, the strange glimpses of the future. Each memory carried a lesson he had tried to ignore, yet now it was all intertwined with the ordinary rhythm of office life.

Determined, Ravi stood and went through the motions more consciously this time. Found the date, the same. He knew the day has not changed. So, he made small corrections to avoid the mistakes he made previously. He placed the coffee cup properly, organized the files neatly, greeted his colleagues warmly, and walked with awareness. Each act felt deliberate, almost meditative. He smiled, thinking he had learned to notice and correct his mistakes.

The direction of sunlight slowly changed, evening came. He ordered the dinner. The server asked, “handout anna?”

Ravi’s mind took a trip to his day repeat. He said, “No, I will have it. I have it here.”

While he was waiting, he looked out of the mess. Opposite to the mess, there is a corporation garbage disposal place. He heard a rant form the garbage pickers. They were picking the litters throwed around the disposal place, there were nothing. Their conversation were filled (the way people throw things anywhere and create nuisance

The Lesson of Food, Waste, and Care

Ravi woke up with a sharp breath. He was sitting in his office chair. Morning light fell across his desk, soft and steady. Computers hummed. Colleagues spoke in low voices. A stack of papers waited in front of him, just like always.

He rubbed his temples. Am I dreaming. Then the memories came back. The briefcase on the street. The door that glowed. The broken place full of waste. The clean city of the future. The bright circle. The day that kept repeating. It all felt too clear to be a dream.

Ravi looked at the calendar. It was same date and same day. His chest felt tight. The day had returned. It was giving him one more chance. He stood up slowly. This time, he chose to pay attention.

He placed his coffee cup away from the edge of the table. He arranged his files before they piled up. He smiled and said good morning to his coworkers. He walked slower than usual. He noticed the light from the windows. The sound of footsteps. Each small action felt calm.

I can change this, he thought.

The day moved on. The work ended because he predicted everything and corrected his mistakes. Evening light filled the room.

At dinner time, Ravi walked to the nearby mess. The smell of food made him hungry. The server looked at him and asked, “Handout anna?”

Ravi paused. His mind jumped back to the other day. The car. The wrapper. The careless throw. His hand tightened.

“No,” he said. “I will eat here.”

The server nodded and served him food. Ravi sat down. He took only what he needed. A little rice. Some curry. Some vegetables. Not too much. He ate slowly. He tasted the food. When he finished, there was almost nothing left. He carried his plate to the wash area.

As he turned around, he looked outside the mess. Across the road was a corporation garbage disposal place. Two garbage pickers were working there. They bent down and picked up waste thrown outside the bin. There were plastic covers, leftover food, and cups.

Ravi heard them talk.

“People just throw and go,” one said.

“Yes,” the other replied. “They don’t care where it lands.”

Their voices were tired. Their hands kept moving. Ravi stood there quietly. He felt a heavy thought settle inside him. This is what my small acts add to. He walked home slowly.

That night, at home, he did the same things. He served himself less food. He ate. He put the waste in the bin. He washed his plate. No big effort. Just care.

The next morning, his mother noticed.

“You took less food today,” she said.

Ravi smiled. “I took enough.”

She nodded.

The neighbour saw Ravi washing his plate near the sink outside. The next day, the neighbour did the same. At work, Ravi stopped using extra cups during tea time. Later that day, in the office, Ravi opted to serve himself, his friends were sitting in the usual place and waiting for the server. They enquired him, he said, “if I serve myself, I will take how much I want and I will finish the plate. I will not waste and throw it.

After the food, he washed the plate and tumbler himself. Water splashed. The plate became clean. It felt simple. It felt right. No one spoke about it. No rules and there no advice. Just watching and copying. The days passed.

The office started look cleaner. The bin area was less messy. The garbage pickers finished their work faster. One of them looked at Ravi and smiled one day. That smile stayed with him.

Ravi finally understood. The doors were not the lesson. The machines were not the lesson.
The glowing lights were not the lesson.

The lesson was food. 

Someone grows it. Someone cooks it. Someone serves it.  Wasting it was not small. It mattered. Waste needed care, not magic. Not future machines alone. Just people choosing to act better.

Ravi still had long days. He still felt tired after work. But now, he paused before doing things. He asked himself two questions.

Do I need this. Where will this go.

The world did not change in one day. But Ravi did, and sometimes, that is how change begins.

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What did Ravi Do?