Charlie Brown and hope
The season of Fall is marked by many things; leaves turning color and falling off the trees, cooler days, longer nights and Charlie Brown trying to kick the football. I used to feel sorry for Charlie Brown, trying to kick that football year after year and I knew he would never succeed because at the last moment, Lucy would always yank it away from him. Each time I read a Peanuts cartoon where Charlie tries again to kick that ball, I think about what it means. At first, I thought maybe Charlie believes people can change and he keeps giving Lucy another chance to prove she can be a better person. Then I thought, maybe Charlie just believes in himself so much that he knows that one day he will be faster than her and manage to place his kick before she grabs the ball. Sometimes that would lead me down the path of thinking Charlie Brown was an idiot because can't he see that Lucy will never be nice to him and let him win? Doesn't he know when it's time to just give up and walk away? Why is kicking that damn ball so important in the first place anyway? Sometimes, I would end up thinking Charlie was just naive and stupid for putting faith in something that simply won't ever happen for him. But today, when I saw Charlie once again fall flat on his back again as I read the Sunday comics, I thought maybe it's a metaphor. That damn ball is life and there are people and things always interfering with our happiness in life. Lucy is just a metaphor for all the things that stop us from living life the way we want. Each time Charlie attempts to kick that ball, it is his attempt to overcome life's obstacles and succeed. Each time he fails I feel sorry for him but then he gets up, and tries again. I don't think he's stupid at all. I don't think this is about Lucy and how mean she is. The whole thing for me is about hope. No matter how many times Charlie misses the ball, how many times Lucy takes it away from him, it never stops him from trying again. Why? Because, no matter how lost Charlie is, how awkward he is, how much life hands him lemons, he still has hope that one day he will get the better of it. He doesn't give up on life, he just keeps trying, no matter how many times he gets knocked down because in the end, Charlie believes it will all work out. I guess, in that regard, I'm a little like Charlie Brown.