I get by with a little help from Gary Larson

I need to thank Jen for inspiring one of my better moves at the beginning of quarantine. Her birthday was approaching, and I planned to assemble a 90s-themed gift to celebrate her and the genesis of our friendship. A Lisa Frank notebook, Bubble Tape, MadLibs, Cool Ranch Corn Nuts–it all came together quite nicely. But the best addition? A couple of The Far Side comic books. I ordered a few for myself too, anticipating the need for some extra laughs. I am so glad I did.

If you’ve not come to know and love Gary Larson’s The Far Side, please do yourself a favor and check it out now. The man is a genius. His panels featuring dinosaurs, cows, scientists, chickens, nerds, and jokes about (once) common sayings are so smart and quirky.

I also snagged a few Bill Waterson’s Calvin and Hobbes volumes. Calvin’s antics and ruminatons, combined with Hobbes’ playfulness and sage, down-to-earth wisdom? Again, comic gold.

Reading and laughing at these comics has done me so much good as I’ve been staying safe, staying home. They are hitting just the right spot, injecting levity and laughter into days with varying levels of worry over the current state of things. (It’d be particularly good therapy for parents of young children to consume some Calvin and Hobbes right now; I think they’d feel seen.)

Why do these feel so perfect for the moment? I have some theories. Foundationally, these are just high quality comics, delivering carefree laughs when carefree is a scarce commodity. But it’s more than that. Pieces of my childhood, they connect me to a time of safety and ease, a time before I Clorox-wiped off groceries and wore a mask in public. My past of The Far Side and Calvin and Hobbes contains certainty, while my present and future feel unpredictable and unstable.

I’m curious; what is your thing? The thing from your past that, revisited now, brings a comforting familiarity? For this writer, it’s his childhood collection of baseball cards. Maybe you’re binge watching Friends, Psych, or everything on Disney+. Playing Nintendo Switch? Listening to the Beatles and Creedence Clearwater Revival? Share in comments; I’d love to know.