I hate pork chops. Yes, I am aware that hate is a very, very strong word; that’s why I used it. They’re the worst food on the entire planet. Every time that I see them, immediately I cringe and am forced into a sour mood. 

Recently when I sat down at the dinner table for supper the other night, resting before me on a silver platter was a rack full of my arch-nemesis. The pain was unbearable and I couldn’t believe that my parents would absolutely betray me by cooking this terrible food. 

That’s it; I couldn’t take it. I had met my match and my heart was broken. I put my head in my hands and let out the biggest sob in the entire world. The feeling of defeat lingered for quite some time, approximately eight minutes after the initial cry. I settled on eating a single potato because that was my only option. 

In large, pork chops are a major disappointment in my life. The worst part about the encounter with them was that I didn’t expect it. 

The current pandemic serves as the pork chops to our world right now. Nobody truly wants it and the only way around it is to eat up some potatoes or in other words, just deal with it by trying to avoid it. 

In all honesty, this entire situation is precarious for every single person alive right now. We’ve never lived through something as serious and fast-spreading as this. What started as an internet meme at most, turned into a complete nightmare for many. 

There isn’t an instant solution for what feels like a never-ending problem. I can’t preach to you about how terrible this pandemic is because you already know. Each person is feeling a loss or a sacrifice with some form of their life right now. 

This is not the meal we had in mind, we had plans for something much more enticing. The year of 2020 was supposed to rock and so far, it’s just been rolling downhill. There seems to be nothing to get excited about and certainly nothing new to discuss at the dinner table. Personally, my family resorted to random daily questions to avoid Corona talk. On a positive note, I now know what superhero is the household favorite and whether or not my dad agrees that we do in fact have a ghost in the house. 

Truthfully, we are all dealing with the navigation through our moment of purgatory. This is a journey different from any other and is unique to every person; however, we have to remember that everyone is feeling a lack right now. 

On the bright side, this has awakened the need for a shifted perspective. More people are reuniting with their families and deeply reflecting on not only themselves, but several unique aspects of the world that may not have been considered before. Some are choosing to use this time to express gratitude and practice engaging conversations in which they didn’t before. I know that my family certainly did, and this pandemic has brought us closer than before.

This is the best we can do right now and the effort is what makes all of this count. This mindset is key when moving forward towards a better tomorrow for all of us in spite of this pandemic. In doing so, we will achieve a greater sense of togetherness which might potentially fill us up for the long run.