Seeing Out the Old Year (1981)

I got a laugh out of this cartoon oldie from 1981. I don't usually laugh at my own cartoons, but there's an explanation.

I just broke my foot, and so have not managed to make it through this year in one piece.

I did it by falling out of my swivel chair while reaching for a package of treats for my pussy cat (Miss Kitty).

Now the funny thing about my misfortune was that just a few hours earlier I'd been listening to an American radio station (on the Internet) and heard the news that Arnold Schwarzenegger had just broken his leg skiing. It brought back memories of a scene, many many years ago in New York City. We were all sitting around enjoying a lovely Shabbes in a frum (observant) friend's apartment. A late arrival was an Israeli who lived in NY and who had gone off to learn to ski. What he actually did was to break his foot. And so he came lumbering in to the cozy Shabbat scene on crutches, expecting sympathy (and respect for his bravery) from his New York friends.

That was when our hostess, known for her incredible Jewish warmth and understanding, said the words that came ringing back to me when I heard of Schwarzenegger's misfortune.

What she said was "Goyim nachas!" which can best be translated as "the pleasures of gentiles".

It was just a few hours later that I broke my foot reaching for a bag of Friskies Tender Treats With Turkey.

I'd like to tell you that I did it skiing. But I can't.