Although it's pretty strange to be writing about something very trivial after what I would consider an extravagant break, it is nevertheless an interesting and also a dangerous incident that could have turned morbid had it not been for some massive luck.
Well, to start with, staying at home with lock-down means we haven't clearly planned out how we spend our days. We start slowing down our activities until we reach this state of absolute laziness where even getting out of bed, having a relaxed and thorough shower and not skipping a single meal could be a big feat(Well, I think a few people can relate with it, if not many. If you've figured things out then this may not be the case.)
Anyway, my diet patterns and quality had changed erratically and in an attempt to having a balanced meal and attaining discipline, I thought I'd start with hard-boiled eggs, hardcore protein diet.
I picked one from the refrigerator, a smooth-looking and fine brown egg from a country chicken, that was sold by an old lady selling things door to door. It's been there for over a week. So I had to test it before using up fuel. I washed these eggs, and put it in a bowl of water. Good, it certainly did sink. The egg was perfect. I was so satisfied. "I did my job well", I thought.
By this time I had actually finished my breakfast. So all I had to do to complete my diet was finish it up with some delicious country egg.
I placed the bowl on the stove and let the flames simmer. That was perfect. There was no way I'd end up ruining it. The flames weren't too high to char the egg. And I had poured more water, more than necessary. I walked out of kitchen feeling smug, almost like a cat that's been given some warm and thick milk. It would take at-least ten-fifteen minutes for it to boil and I could come back and turn it off when it was boiled and ready.
I went and lay on the sofa in the living room. I was just vaccinated for Covid the day before. I still had a little fatigue. So I settled myself comfortably on my couch and was doing nothing productive but scroll through some videos on Youtube. Time passed. Ten minutes, fifteen minutes.... and I lost track of time until I heard a very frightening sound, something like an explosion. One second I was utterly clueless about what had happened. I wasn't even sure where exactly it came from, from within my home or from that of my neighbor's. There was a moment of panic, I rushed to the kitchen and my heart skipped a beat.
There it was the bowl displaced from the burner now. I went and had a closer look. Every drop of water had evaporated and the vessel was charred. I couldn't remember how long I actually let the heat on. I looked around and saw pieces of egg lying all round the kitchen. What I had heard was in fact the egg bursting under pressure due to overheating. It was a yellow mess. Shortly after ants were ready to scavenge the place, hundreds of them.
It came quite as a surprise and shock for me that an egg exploding could really have that kind of sound. I had witnessed an egg exploding pretty much like a grenade. If this is sounds frightening, then imagine how impactful and destructive a grenade could potentially be!!!
Scary....!
The incident completely shook me for a while because I was feeling worried about gas leakage. But checked for any lingering smell and wasn't feeling convinced until I figured out there wasn't a gas leakage. I just let the stove on for more than required. I had let it on for probably a half hour at the very least.
I was feeling devastated after the incident. I felt bad that I wasted a huge amount of fuel and food due to being mindless. I felt like I had no right to be doing that kind of reckless wastage. It was accidental of course, but it could have been avoided. I made up my mind to never ever ever do that kind of thing again.
It was a huge lesson I had learnt from today's kitchen disaster. It was quite some luck that nothing serious happened. But if we're careless, anything could happen. Carelessness could cost huge things. It's not worth it.
If there's a message I'd like to put out there today it's just the fact that never take anything for granted no matter how insignificant it may seem because nothing in the Universe comes for free. Try to learn from your mistakes, that way you'd be a much better version of yourself. And be mindful about what you are doing, there's no room for carelessness.
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