I’m a father. I’m a cyclist. I’m an environmentalist. Sometimes I like to bark out loud about people driving too much, which is wrecking our planet and making it hard for the next generations to thrive in this world.
A friend of mine pointed this out to me, writing “how’s it feel to be a real life version of Calvin’s father?”
Of course, this had not occurred to me. I’m a huge fan of the Calvin and Hobbes comic strip by Bill Watterson. I have all of the book collections and my brother and I shared many great evenings reading these comics and memorizing the witty comments and insights. Those comics helped us build character and give us different perspectives on life.
My friend astutely made this observation because I was ranting about a press release from the Federal Highway Administration, which stated that “new data today showing 3.2 trillion miles driven on U.S. roads in 2016, setting historic new record.” I said “America should commit to reducing our individual miles driven, not push them higher. Raise federal gas tax for starters.”
I did not remember, however, that Calvin’s dad was into cycling. As in, he goes for rides often to relax (usually to catch a break from Calvin) and even bikes in awful weather conditions (like I have tended to do).
I share some other characteristics with Calvin’s dad, but I don’t wear glasses and still have most of my hair (knock on wood). We were smart enough to have two children, thus avoiding having one child who had to create an imaginary best friend with a stuffed tiger.
That said, in my heart, I’m more like Hobbes than other characters from the comic (I wish I was smart like Susie Dirkins, but I’m more naive, sweet, and playful, like Hobbes).
Finally, I just hope that my children don’t start taking polls to track my performance as Dad.
Phil Riggan 