Ramses stood in the middle of his living room, staring at the mess that surrounded him. Piles of books, dirty dishes, and crumpled clothes were strewn across every surface. It was a reflection of his life—chaotic, unorganized, and overwhelmed.
But now, something had shifted. The warmth he'd felt the night before—the inexplicable light that had filled his room—had sparked something deep inside him. It wasn't just hope; it was purpose.
"If I can't change the world right now," Ramses said aloud, "then I'll change myself."
It was a bold declaration, but Ramses knew words meant nothing without action. For years, he'd made excuses, convincing himself he couldn't change. But with the world frozen, he no longer had those excuses. There were no distractions, no obligations, no one to disappoint but himself.
He grabbed a pen and a notebook from the cluttered coffee table and sat down. "Okay," he muttered. "Step one: clean up."
Cleaning was easier said than done. Ramses hadn't realized how much of a disaster his apartment had become. The kitchen sink was filled with plates encrusted with dried food. The bathroom mirror was streaked with toothpaste stains. Dust coated every surface, and the smell of stale coffee lingered in the air.
Ramses tied a bandana around his head and got to work.
The first few hours were grueling. He scrubbed, swept, and wiped down every inch of the apartment. He threw away bags of trash, filled the washing machine with piles of laundry, and rearranged the furniture to make the space feel new.
By the time he was done, the apartment looked completely different. The air felt lighter, the floors sparkled, and for the first time in months, Ramses felt proud of his living space.
He stood in the center of the room, hands on his hips, surveying his work. "Not bad," he said with a small smile.
But cleaning was only the first step.
Next, Ramses turned his attention to his body.
He'd always been athletic in high school—a runner with boundless energy. But years of neglect had taken their toll. His muscles were soft, his stamina was non-existent, and his body felt sluggish.
Ramses rummaged through his closet and found an old pair of running shoes. They were dusty but still fit. He laced them up and headed outside.
The streets were eerily quiet, as always. Ramses jogged down the sidewalk, weaving between frozen pedestrians and stalled cars. At first, it felt good. The wind on his face, the rhythmic pounding of his feet against the pavement—it was exhilarating.
But within minutes, his lungs were burning, and his legs felt like lead. Ramses stopped, leaning against a lamppost to catch his breath.
"Wow," he panted, wiping sweat from his forehead. "I'm more out of shape than I thought."
He could have stopped there. He could have walked back to his apartment and given up, telling himself it was too hard. But Ramses refused to let himself fall into old habits.
"I'll just go a little farther," he told himself. "One step at a time."
And that's what he did.
Every day, Ramses pushed himself a little more. He ran farther, stretched longer, and started doing bodyweight exercises in his living room. At first, it was brutal. His muscles ached, and his body protested every movement. But as the days passed, he felt himself growing stronger.
He started to enjoy the burn of a good workout, the rush of endorphins that followed. His body began to change—his posture improved, his stamina increased, and his reflection in the mirror started to look less like a stranger and more like the person he wanted to be.
Ramses didn't stop with his body. He knew that if he wanted to truly change, he needed to work on his mind as well.
The stack of books he'd brought home from the library sat waiting on the coffee table. Ramses picked up the first one—a philosophy book—and opened it.
The first few pages were slow going. Ramses hadn't done any serious reading in years, and his mind kept wandering. But he forced himself to focus, taking notes as he went.
He set a goal for himself: one book a day.
At first, it seemed impossible. Some of the books were dense and filled with complicated ideas. But Ramses stuck with it, pacing himself and taking breaks when he needed to. He read about history, science, art, and technology. He learned about ancient civilizations, groundbreaking inventions, and the lives of great thinkers.
The more Ramses read, the more he realized how much he didn't know. It was humbling, but it also fueled his determination. He wanted to understand the world in ways he never had before.
As the days turned into weeks—or what Ramses assumed were weeks—he began to notice a change in himself.
His body was leaner, his mind sharper. He felt more confident, more capable. The voice in his head that once whispered self-doubt and fear was quieter now.
Ramses started to create a routine. He woke up, cleaned, worked out, read, and explored the city. He cooked meals for himself, experimenting with recipes he found in cookbooks. He wrote in a journal, documenting his thoughts and progress.
The world outside was still frozen, but Ramses felt like his life was finally moving forward.
One day, as Ramses was running through the park, he stopped at the frozen fountain. He sat on the edge, staring at the water caught mid-splash.
For the first time since the freeze, he felt a sense of gratitude.
"Thank you," he said softly, though he wasn't sure who—or what—he was thanking. "For this chance. For this time."
He didn't know how long the freeze would last. He didn't know if things would ever go back to normal. But for the first time in years, Ramses wasn't afraid of the future.
That evening, Ramses sat in his apartment, surrounded by books and notebooks filled with his scribbled notes. He was physically exhausted from his workout and mentally drained from hours of studying, but he felt… alive.
He picked up his journal and opened it to a blank page. At the top, he wrote:
Goals for the Future
Underneath, he started writing:
Finish college.
Reconnect with my family.
Travel to at least three different countries.
Write a book.
Run a marathon.
The list went on, each goal filling Ramses with excitement and purpose. For so long, he'd felt like his life was out of his control, like he was stuck on a path he didn't choose. But now, he realized he had the power to change.
The freeze had given him a gift—a chance to hit pause and rewrite his story.
Ramses closed the journal and leaned back, a small smile on his face.
"This is just the beginning," he said.
And for the first time in years, he believed it.