An exploration of the healing power of tacos

There used to be a show called, Kids Say the Darndest Things.

For some, that show takes place daily. Count my brother and sisterin-law among those people. My nine-year-old niece is handful, in a good way. She is a package of kind and rebellious energy. Every couple of weeks, her parents or grandparents have a story to share that is nothing short of entertaining.

Last week, tragedy struck when her dog was hit by a car and killed. It was an accident but heartbreaking, nevertheless. After burying her beloved friend, my niece walked past a pond back to the house with her mother and asked where other members of the family were at.

When told cleaning the church and back at the house cooking tacos, new tears erupted as she mourned her dog. After a moment, she looked at her mom and said, “Tacos can’t fix this.”

Holy smokes. So simple and so deep.

If you look back on some of the bad days you have had, is there a situation where tacos could have fixed it?

I immediately gravitate back to sports. When Kevin Durant signed with Golden State, could tacos have fixed how I felt? Would tacos have made me feel better when the Texas Rangers whiffed against St. Louis Game 6 of the World Series?

While we are on the subject, maybe some clarification is needed. If I bust a headline, maybe Taco Bell or Taco Casa would do the trick. For bigger issues, like having two to three staff members call in sick, street tacos are required.

While we are at it, if we have Taco Tuesday. Does that mean Tuesdays are the new Mondays?

These are all questions I must think about now that my niece has thrown down the gauntlet.

Growing up, my mother believed in a nice and quick Sunday evening meal. As a result, we either had tacos or hot dogs. To this day, when we have hot dogs or tacos on Sunday night, I remember those days fondly.

Apparently, tacos can fix missing family.

At first, the thought of tacos as a first aid remedy was a great story but it has taken on a life of its own. If I ever decide to write humor-based book on insights and experiences, tacos can’t fix this has vaulted into the pole position for title.

It should be noted tacos doesn’t necessarily need to be the comfort food of choice. My wife as a longstanding love affair with enchiladas that predates me. In fact, in addition to having Taco Tuesday she observed Enchilada Wednesday prior B.M. (Before Michael). She doesn’t seem to need enchiladas to help solve life’s woes anymore and I would like to think I have something to do with that.

As a sidenote, at times, she seems to think I am full of something. I don’t think it’s tacos.

Like my niece, I too am familiar with losing a pet and it absolutely breaks the heart. Time, not tacos, helps heal the open wounds. But don’t give up on tacos. There are plenty of other things they can fix. Michael Pineda is the managing editor for The Yukon Review. He can be reached at mpineda@theyukonreview.com.