AIN’T NO HAPPY TALK

Cap’n Fatty Goodlander’s sobering article “Pondering a Pandemic” (August/september 2020) was a gentle gut-punch (Fatty-style) about how he and Carolyn, and frankly most of us, are dealing with our existence on what he calls our beloved Mother Ocean. Fatty’s articles are always served up with insight, humor and humility, and this month was no different, although it was a stark reminder of the pandemic’s impacts, our future, and the importance of connectedness with loved ones, friends and even strangers. The Goodlanders’ lives, floating on a mooring in safety but uncertainty, is a departure from reading about their next exotic destination. As an American kid in Singapore, I learned to sail on a Sabot “borrowed” not far from the Changi Sailing Club harbor that the Goodlanders now call home. I am grateful to Cap’n for acting like a captain: telling us like it is, not what we want to hear, without any happy talk of what might come next. No one knows what comes next, although his article is a blunt reminder of what matters most in life: companionship, memories and a life of simpler pleasures.

Mike Manchak Templeton, California