Do you ever worry that you might waste food? During the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, many people around the world were going hungry, but people came up with unique ways to try and help. One of these was to put fridges filled with food outside for people who needed it. The movement was very popular in the US, but there have also been community fridges all around the world as well.

Back in 2016, before the COVID-19 pandemic, Pauline, a restaurant owner in Kochi, India, had the bright idea to put a fridge in the street to stop unused food from going to waste and to help the needy. The idea came to her late one night when she saw a lady searching in a rubbish can for food. Watching the woman, she had a sad thought.

“The woman had been sleeping and was woken up by her hunger, so she had to go in search of food instead of sleeping,” said Pauline. She felt really sad that night because the restaurant had made lots of food that could have been given to her.

Over in the UK, the idea of communal (公共的) fridges was used in Sommerset to fight against food waste and hunger issues, encouraging people to donate and also take unwanted food. UK supermarkets and eateries like Marks & Spencer and Greggs have regularly helped the poor and hungry.

Now there is a large movement in the UK to provide communal fridges. One charity, Hubbub, now operates the Community Fridge Network. The network supports groups running communal fridges across the UK, which now number over 300 fridges. Hubbub has partnered with Co-op to provide 500 fridges so far.

“A fridge is so often much more than a fridge,” said Hubbub’s official website. “The fridges connect people together, address social isolation (隔绝) and provide people with the opportunity to access healthy food, try something new and save money.”

Once eating alone was just that: sitting down in a restaurant on one’s own and eating a meal. Everyone did it sometimes, and when they did so, 【小题1】 . To eat alone might suggest that you didn’t have any friends. There was a kind of shame attached to it.

Nowadays, however, there is more and more solitary (独自的) eating for pleasure. 【小题2】 . “Foodies”—people with a passionate interest in cuisines—do it because all they need is the chance to eat good food. They don’t want company or conversation, but only the joy of eating some special dish. Other people eat alone because it’s simply practical for them to do so. For instance, it’s estimated that nearly a third of all the customers of fast-food restaurants eat alone. They are served with their food fast， eat it fast and then leave fast. 【小题3】

But the appeal of eating alone is quite different. 【小题4】 . For the hour or so that it takes to have a meal, they can forget all the pressures of their lives. They don’t have to deal with their family or job. They can relax and let their mind wander. Maybe they’ll bring a book, a newspaper to enjoy a quiet time.

David Annand, editor of Conde Nast Traveler magazine, who delights in dining alone, speaks of his pleasure in the “rhythm of a meal in a restaurant—its ebb and flow (人来人往), the periodic arrival and departure of the waiter”. 【小题5】 .

Over the past two weeks, I've lost my passport, barked at a neighbor and published a picture of myself wearing a kid's superhero costume. Forgetfulness, anger and poor decision-making are all signs of sleep shortage.

And I'm not alone.

“I average around six hours a night,” admits Paul, who's lived in Shanghai for three years. “But how much of that is deep sleep, I don't know.”

Lisa works in a hotel. “I struggle to switch off,” she says, “a glass of red wine with dinner helps.”

March 21 is the World Sleep Day, an annual event in celebration of slumber, or sleep. When sleep problems become a global epidemic, it's time to ask: “Am I getting enough?”

The lack of sleep throughout industrialized nations is damaging our health, wellness and safety. We're dog-tired, the impact of which is enough to keep anyone up at night.

A global experiment is performed on 1.6 billion people across 70 countries twice a year: daylight savings. When one hour of sleep is lost in spring, there's a 24 percent increase in heart attacks, and in autumn, when the hour is regained, a 21 percent reduction.

Good sleep increases concentration, attention and decision-making. Creativity goes up, and our ability to find novel solutions to complex problems is hugely improved. Sleep reduces mood swings and stress levels. We drink less alcohol and make better food choices when rested.

Take sleep seriously. It's not a luxury, but a biological necessity. It's our life-support system and let it be our superpower.