There’s a meme making rounds on the internet that goes like this:

I promise this email contains no tasks. I will be brief, because it’s only a couple of days before Christmas and I’m sure we’ve all had enough of everything. I’m sitting in bed as I write these words. I have to leave for school pick-up soon and today is one of those days where putting pants (leggings) on feels like such a chore. I don’t know about you, but I haven’t been sleeping well lately. The foxes are at it again. They’ve been screeching at 2 AM all week and I’ve woken up more than once in a panic only to realize it was the sweet sound of foxes mating outside my bedroom window. That’s not all. One of the foxes, I’m assuming a female, let out a cry of relief that sounded exactly like mine when the OB/GYN yanked my son out of the birth canal with a suction cup after pushing for four hours.

Birds have also been chirping during the night, and while their midnight songs are lovely and not at all traumatizing like fox sex, they too have been keeping me up at night. What is going on in London? It’s a hectic time of year for everyone I guess. Even the local wildlife is working overtime.

Here’s a recording of the birds (plus a tube passing by). I’m sparing you the other guys, and I hope clicking on the “play” button doesn’t feel like a task. If so, please skip it.

On that melodic note, I’d like to thank you for being such a kind and loyal reader of OBSESSED: A Newsletter. I started this project because I wanted to explore the meaning of obsessions and what they teach us about ourselves through personal essays and interviews. When I refer to an obsession, I mean something that occupies a lot of space in our minds. It can be anything really. Some of my obsessions probably have a name within the medical community. But many obsessions are simply me being curious and becoming passionate about something for either ten minutes or twenty years.

My favourite part of writing this newsletter in 2023 has been the Obsessed Interviews. Interviewing a guest about an obsession of theirs has been such a joyful experience. It’s never about “just” the obsession. There’s always something meaningful and interesting behind it, and I’m grateful to all my guests who’ve generously shared their time and their stories with me and this audience.

This was also the year I turned on the paid subscription option, and wow, almost 20% of you became paid subscribers. That’s a lot, especially since I thought only my parents and my mother-in-law would upgrade their subscriptions. Thank you so much for supporting my work. This newsletter is a big deal to me and I take it seriously. I don’t treat it as small but it is small, I know most of my subscribers personally. And to those I don’t know, I see you and I’m grateful you’re here, reading my work every week.

I promised I’d be brief, so time to wrap up. This is my last newsletter of 2023. I’ll be taking a break for a couple of weeks to rest my brain and my body. I’ll be pausing paid subscriptions during this time. I look forward to resuming OBSESSED in 2024.

Wishing you and your loved ones Happy Holidays. Wishing you health and love above all. Peace. Take care and see you soon.