Peanuts to the rescue!

In a long running gag from the comic strip Peanuts, Lucy tells Charlie Brown that she’ll hold a football for him to kick. Charlie Brown refuses to kick it at first, not trusting Lucy, not wanting to get burned again. The two go back and forth until she convinces him to trust her.

Charlie Brown races up to kick the football, but Lucy pulls the ball back at the very last second, sending him flying head over heals, sprawling on the ground. The gag usually ends with Lucy pointing out to Charlie Brown that he shouldn’t have trusted her.

He just can’t get a break. In the immortal words of Charlie Brown, “Good grief.”

Man’s best friend

Where Charlie Brown seems to attract bad luck, his lovable pet beagle, Snoopy, is the coolest of the cool. Snoopy has all the moves. He’s one of the most recognizable and iconic characters from the comic strip and American pop culture. Everyone wants to spend time with him. Snoopy is loyal, funny, and imaginative. He’s a genuinely happy dog and the only thing that truly upsets him is a lack of supper.

As a young kid, I loved Snoopy. I couldn’t get enough of his portrayal of a British World War I flying ace from the Royal Flying Corps trying to bring down his rival, the German flying ace, the “Red Baron.”  It makes sense then that I had a Snoopy stuffed animal and carried him everywhere throughout our house.

A friend to count on

I would read the Sunday comics, or try to read it, with Snoopy lined up next to me. With him at my side, I felt like I had his same “Joe Cool” style and confidence. When I didn’t sleep with Snoopy, I slept with a small brown and yellow Teddy Bear. The bear had dark brown eyes and the smallest hint of a smile.

Snoopy and Teddy were my friends. If I had a tough day at the babysitters or kindergarten, I’d race up our steps, run to my room and grab Snoopy to watch cartoons on TV. I felt cuddling next to one of my two stuff animals made everything better. I knew they weren’t real. I knew they were made of stuffing and soft cloth, but I could still laugh and cry with them. They gave me confidence to face new challenges and everything that the day brought.

We all need a friend

I’ve been thinking about Snoopy and Teddy lately. I’m well past that point in my life where I need a stuffed animal, but I think we all need a friend or two to trust once in a while. I’m not talking about just any old friend, but someone who you can confide your deepest worries, your deepest secrets, someone who you can tell everything.

I was better off because I had Snoopy and Teddy as a kid. Likewise, I’m better off now as an adult because of the friends in my life.

I write more about the powerful lessons I learned from the Sunday Comics in my post, Life Lessons from Peanuts, Calvin & Hobbes & Company, on the Heart of the Matter. Are you a cartoon fan? What did you take away from them?