Is There Something About Thirty-Seven?

Twice in the last week I have come across anecdotes about people whose lives changed dramatically – thankfully in both cases for the “better” – at the ripe old age of thirty-seven.

I took special note since I am now thirty-seven. It seems an inauspicious number; rather forgettable in the milestone birthday category. Yet, at least two people (and I’m sure legions more) have made major life changes at the age of thirty-seven.

One such shift involved Bill Watterson – author and illustrator of the iconic Calvin and Hobbes comic strips.

These comics happened to be my favourite while growing up and I’ve been slowly working my way through the canon. Aside from enjoying the humour of the strip, I’ve taken an interest in the behind-the-scenes workings of syndicated newspaper comics. (It’s a decidedly exhausting and cutthroat business.)

Watterson launched Calvin and Hobbes in 1985. The next decade saw a meteoric rise in the strip’s popularity – though much of that time was concurrently spent in legal battles as Watterson worked to prevent the merchandising of his characters (hence the dearth of Hobbes stuffies; any urinating Calvin decals are, in Watterson’s words, the work of “thieves and vandals”), along with a fight for more creative freedom in his Sunday spreads. Over this same period, he took two nine-month sabbaticals – virtually unheard of in the industry – to offset burnout.

By 1995, Watterson was done. He was just thirty-seven. Arguably at the height of his creative career – which, given his sabbaticals, ran a little over eight years – he left untold millions on the proverbial drawing board to lead a life of obscurity.

I am not leaving untold millions on any drawing board, have not spent a decade embroiled in legal battles, and can’t draw to save my life. (I am also female, do not live in Ohio, and have precisely zero desire to learn more about dinosaurs.)

But I am thirty-seven. I’ve resigned from a job in the last year. I’m currently taking a five-night sabbatical from parenting and home management. This post isn’t some attempt to draw a big connecting arc between myself and Watterson, but it has provided interesting food for thought.

And just for fun…some highlights from my ongoing re-read of the complete works of Watterson’s Calvin and Hobbes.

So true, no?

My father never read Calvin and Hobbes, but he was forever telling us that unpleasant tasks would “build character.”

Okay, this one isn’t funny, but I appreciate how big truths – this one hits particularly close to home – can be conveyed in such accessible, relatable ways in a comic strip!

Oh goodness, do I ever relate to this…

Relatable, no?

I hope I have enough cadmium red – it gets me every time and is so “Calvin”.

I was crying with laughter – CRYING!

Header photo by Kelly Sikkema on Unsplash