Yes, you read the title right. I’ve decided life is kind of like a hamburger. 

Now, before you start wondering if the last of my sanity has finally wandered off and leave the website never to return for fear of catching whatever is wrong with me, let me explain what I mean. (And if this looks familiar, I used the idea in an email a while ago. If you already read that email, I apologize. You’ll be getting it twice, but it seems very applicable to life the last few months, and not everybody gets my emails.)

Let’s say (just pretend with me for a second) your perfect burger is a nice quarter pounder, with bacon, cheese, and no pickles or onions. Sometimes when you order it, it comes perfectly. It’s wonderful, and you go off with a full stomach and not a care in the world. However, every once in a while (if it’s more often than that you should find a new place to get your burgers) the order isn’t quite how you like it. They forget the cheese or, heaven forbid, the bacon. Maybe they even negligently added some pickles or onions. It’s easy to feel upset. You were looking forward to that burger, and it’s nothing like you imagined. It’s all wrong. You feel betrayed, disappointed, and probably a bit angry. 

Life is kind of the same way. Some days go perfect, and you go to bed feeling satisfied and happy. Other days, however, aren’t what you think they should be. Just like the bacon and cheese, plans fall through. You don’t get the things you were hoping for. Just like the pickles and onions, things that aren’t so pleasant happen. You feel betrayed, disappointed, and probably a bit angry. 

When you get a burger that isn’t ideal, you have a few choices. You could, of course, tell the vendor to make you a new one. Or, you can throw it against the wall in a tantrum and refuse to eat it at all and stomp away hungry or miserable. Or, you can make the due with what you have. You can still enjoy a burger without cheese or bacon. You can take the pickles and onions off and deal with them. Life is similar. While a new day isn’t really an option, you can choose whether to complain and make a bad day worse or take it as it comes and make the best of it. You can find the best in the situation. It’s not a perfect analogy, but it works–at least in my head. 

Lately, my life burger has been a little lacking in some areas (mostly time to do things I want to do like writing) and has thrown me a few pickles and onions. They were kind of big pickles and onions this time too. However, we’re all good here. I know I’ll get to write someday. I’m still trying to figure out how to deal with the pickles and onions, but the rest of the life burger is delicious enough to balance it out. 

So why am I posting this? Honestly, I don’t really know (except for the fact that I think 2020 messed up everyone’s burger and we are still trying to recover), but I do know it’s making me crave a burger. And hey, sometimes it’s nice just to be reminded that life, like a burger, can be taken one bite at a time, and the next day (or burger) might always be better. 

How do you like your burgers?