Who occupies the driver’s seat in your life? Are you the pilot? Or are your outcomes determined by ceding power to others? When I consider possible mentors and role models, a cartoon character like the comic strip scamp Calvin seems like an unlikely choice. But should it be?
“From now on, I’ll connect the dots my own way.” — Calvin
In a rare reference to the number, quantity, interactivity with or any other reference to my social media accounts, faithful followers will notice periodic posts from me titled simply, “Why I miss Calvin & Hobbes” that include a random panel from Bill Watterson’s masterwork.
I have loved the Calvin and Hobbes comic strip ever since it first appeared in 1985. Not only is the humor therein wry, cynical-yet-laced-with-hopefulness and warped, but Calvin & Hobbes creator Watterson manages to convey elemental, essential lessons through the alchemy of ink and paper.
Calvin is a bombastic, self-centered, short-sighted, delightful, imaginative imp with a tenuous (but intact) moral core. His stuffed tiger, Hobbes, serves as his foil, counsel and ballast.
Calvin is NOT a literal six-year old, but rather, a composite and representation of the human race, our collective Inner Child. He is a loner by nature, being an only child, but more than the familial construct into which he has been drawn, Calvin operates outside the norm in other ways.
An introvert by choice, he prefers to create his own worlds within his own mind. Spaceman Spiff, Tracer Bullet and Stupendous Man (the arch enemy of Babysitter Girl/Rosalyn) represent a few of the alter egos that help him escape the confines of his perceived tedium.
Calvin also thrives on mayhem and chaos, oftentimes oblivious to the fact that he himself has created most of it. He is also a big fan of winging it and improvises his solutions on the fly, experiencing mixed results. His wagon and toboggan often provide a narrative device — the means for us to follow his logic as he ponders matters both large and small.
Calvinball is a great example of making things up as he goes along. Like life itself, the rules always change. There is no predestined means of playing the game itself; no special equipment needed. Upon reflection, I don’t know that Watterson ever drew a panel defining the terms of winning. …I’m not sure when (or if) the game actually ends.
“Life is like topography, Hobbes. There are summits of happiness and success, flat stretches of boring routine, and valleys of frustration and failure.” — Calvin
With this in mind, I ask you to join with me in taking stock of our choices. How can we chart our own course? What can we do to incorporate fun and managed chaos into our lives? How do we connect the dots in our own lives, and what is the picture we hope to create?
We always have control over our choices. It is the seat of our power. Speaking of seats, I recommend buying a pair of rocketship underpants.
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