The Peugeot Boxer comes complete with ABS, driver’s airbag, and electronic brake force distribution (EBFD) for the driver’s peace of mind. Weighing in at an impressive three tons, it’s able to carry a further 1550 kg across Amsterdam with ease. Should the driver choose to run through a red light at 50 km/h and plough into my 300cc Vespa, the Boxer van has an average impact force of 1929 Kn (feels like being hit by a mass of 196,637 KG). Seems there’s an app for every calculation.
So, with a smashed-up ankle, my foot now pointing in the right direction, and a box of prescription medicine, I found myself with a bunch of time to invest in my manuscript.
I watched Groundhog Day a total of six times that week. I saw the key transformation in Bill Murray was kindness. So from despair to deliverance and from loathing to love, when a client decided to sit on a couple of invoices for the last quarter, I have nothing but compassion for them. Care for their brand. And the willpower not to let the meds get the better of me and trash-talk them on Twitter.
My flash fiction piece titled ‘Gravity’ was also published in Pure Slush that morning. In this, the protagonist witnesses the demise of his mother in the ambulance. (Ironic that 50 years after the incident, I find myself travelling in such a vehicle). Whether ketamine, co-codamol, or morphine, the drug administered boosted my creative juices to no end.
I kept up with some of the copywriting, with clients who proved that patience, kindness, and Zoom calls are possible with one leg in traction. Like they said with the Bionic Man, “We can rebuild him. We have the technology. We have the capability to make him more than he was before. Better. Stronger. Faster.” Only in this case, go easy on the faster bit. I’m switching from scooters to cycles after all this.
The film director STEPHEN RUTTERFORD came for tea. (I don’t think I dreamt it). We talked about what life was like in NY outside of advertising. Shared memories of all the great people who inspired us when we started out. He and friends like Jon, Neil, and Nick inspire me to keep on being kind to others in order to be kind to myself.
I found myself reading Raymond Carver’s Cathedral—a collection of short fiction. In one story, titled Scotty, a boy is hit by a car and goes into a coma. Not great reading after this horrific incident I’ll admit, but the story taught me to value even more the kindness my wife has shown me throughout all this. To accept help from friends. That integrity in others makes all the difference.
The lesson I get from all of this is to keep it simple. Place one foot in front of the other and keep moving forward with kindness and creativity at the centre of everything I think and do.