I cannot help but reposting the comic strip that, almost exactly a year ago, my sister shared with me and her friends and acquaintances to greet us this year 2016, almost ended now.
It was not a good year for her, and she left this world -magical or not- at midsummer. But reading again her comment on the posted strip (and the strip itself) right now makes me think on the “brand-new world … full of possibilities” she has entered and the “fresh clean start” she is doing in it.
She wrote on 31st December, past year:
“So, accept please my best wishes, and also this beautiful very last comic strip of Calvin & Hobbes (31st December 1995), by Bill Watterson, that expresses hope and “joie de vivre” in a masterly way.
I was eighteen — and down in the bottom of a deep well — when this cartoon reached my hands, and it caused me a great impression. Somehow, it helped me to react, and to trust again in myself and in people on this world. For me it was like a present of fate.”
“Of course, it will be a different thing for each of you, but anyway it won’t be a bad one :)”
“Have a Happy and Peaceful New Year! Hugs!”
I do not wish to become sentimental commenting her words; I don’t wish either to feel upset recalling, for more than some seconds, the disappointing response (3 views and 1 comment) that her greeting received on her social network. I will only add that she is now truly in a Magical World and that all the rest of us stay marooned here in this not so Magical, scarcely Happy and not at all Peaceful one.
Most of the time I wish I was there with Ari, exploring, but each of us have our own destiny, and mine did not include this wonderful possibility; thus I must get used to make my way by myself… However, being there, she is still here and wherever there is a person who cared for her -there remain few, but they were truly caring.
Now, this is the very last strip by Bill Watterson in his Calvin & Hobbes’ series; the final curtain for it; a masterpiece:
–
Happy New Year 
INVISIBLE FORMS 
I wish you a Happy and Peaceful New Year Li ! Big hugs, bro !
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Big hugs back to you, dear John ! May this next one be the best year of your life
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She shared a couple of these strips privately with me, due to our mutual admiration of the strip and its author. She really saw a meaningful moral and lesson in Watterson’s works…..
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I’ve seen these posts and read all the comments 🙂 and I’m glad that she found in you an interlocutor for this affection. For many years, I’ve been the only person in her world knowledgeable about Watterson. She really loved that kiddo, Calvin !!
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LOL…..So did I, I’m just glad I didn’t act like him at that age!!!! =)
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Why not… ? He’s a very creative and independent child, extremely intelligent 🙂
I know that Ariel empathized with him for being a lonely kid, just different, sometimes bullied, truly fond of, and loyal to, his best and only friend. In fact she was a little like him when she was that age; a rebelious kid in search of appreciation and respect
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I meant in terms of all the mischief he got himself into….LOL….When I first started reading the strips, I thought to myself, “Wow, 6 year olds do not go around talking like this!!!” However as I continued reading them, I was somewhat envious of him for his intellect. She used to tell me how she related to him in that manner, just someone in search of appreciation, and I understood completely….=)
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And, you know, Ariel got herself into a lot of mischief as well (only, in her case it came almost always from others)… Anyway, I felt many times as Calvin’s mom… Truly at a loss, and very often deep in some great fuss or even brawl… (I was going to write a LOL here…, but it was not at all funny back then
If I’m not wrong recalling, I confronted personally, one by one, all bullies of her class . Luckily I was older than them (and completely determined to kill someone if necessary, which was frightening and worked just fine)
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