If Everything Falls Apart, What Will Remain?

Just about everyone in the world has experienced a string of challenging events these past few months. July/August 2020 may be among the most forgettable in recent memory. COVID-19 showed dramatically that it did not differentiate based on race, nationality, income, or political preference. Staying hopeful and positive can challenging. Although not the root cause, COVID-induced separation is a likely contributor to a nagging sense of disconnect that has become the common theme of 2020. "Lockdown, social distancing, and quarantine" have replaced "love, peace, and happiness" as the montra of the day. I wonder sometimes if we've gotten too good at social distancing. We stay at home; work from home separated from others in our household who are doing the same; frown under our mask if someone is shopping in the wrong direction in the supermarket aisle. We are cautioned to avoid people who are sick; we used to be encouraged to do the opposite. "Only connect" is the epigraph to the novel "Howard's End." One of my favorite places to feel connected is the local Italian market. Shopping in a salumeria is not shopping at all - it is an exchange of experiences, recipes, likes and dislikes: Do you prefer the hot or sweet soppressata? Prosciutto di Parma or San Daniele? Are the long-hot peppers really hot? The counter man offers a sample slice of Calabrian salami, an inducement to order a half-pound instead of a quarter. We discuss the merits of gorgonzola versus blue cheese with a stranger. The magic of connection lies in the fact that everyone is, for a moment, connected by a passion for this food. Perhaps an elemental connectedness is what will remain if everything falls apart.