As this year metaphorically mumbles, gurgles and grumbles its last words before finally succumbing to its inevitable passing, I’d like to use my last words of 2020 to say thank you to everyone for reading these weekly pieces, either on my site at cobsalad.com or through the barefootdoctorworld.com emails and facebook page. And thank you for all the emails and messages in return. I’ve enjoyed our conversations, I’ve come to know some of you well, and it’s been a rare point of brightness in a largely blue and gloomy time. Because what a year it’s been, eh?
A few summers ago, my brothers and I went to Berlin for a short break and we got off to a rather farcical start by taking, mistakenly, someone else’s Uber from the airport. It was only when we arrived at our false destination that we all realised what had happened. Uber’s automated system wouldn’t allow us to rebook nor did it recognise the trip as completed so couldn’t process payment to our friendly, but big and burly, driver. We’d found ourselves in a vicious purgatorial pickle without any apparent solution. To this, our friendly, but big and burly driver, who spoke a particularly forceful brand of brusque and ever so slightly inaccurate English, exclaimed, “That’s a whole other fuck.” Which summed things up rather accurately after all. And so from time to time ever since, one of my brothers or I might quote our Uber Mensch when it’s really the only thing left to say.
Thus: 2020. That’s a whole other fuck.
And yet I’m very grateful to have done it with you all. So, I say thank you again and wish for the coming new year to bring us all health, strength and success, a renewed zip in the step, increased vim and verve, all the joy we deserve, and bundles and bundles of love.
Happy new year. It’s going to get better.
Jake xx
