It sounds petty, but if at any time during the meal a dinner guest used the word surreal to describe our current situation, or the phrase hunkered down, I would make a mental note to disinvite them from any future get-togethers. I hated the clichés that came with the pandemic, hated hearing the new normal. Oh, and heroes. At first the word was used for health-care professionals. Then for essential workers. Then we were all heroes. “Give yourself a great big hand, and stay safe!”
