This ad is from the New Yorker, December 8, 2009. You’ll remember that the Great Recession was in full swing. It was going to be the very thing to shift the pendulum toward less consumption and saner spending. The pendulum is an inherently shifty thing. In 2017, it seems generally to have swung back to more, better things, but a small (maybe growing) segment of society appears amenable to a thoughtful, less-is-more lifestyle.
Count me in that group. A main dish of comic relief (literally, comic) with a side of Rules might bring you along too. As the diamond ad encourages, fewer, better things. What about fewer, better words? I hope the comics that I’ve clipped and curated since 2008 will make a convincing case. A Family Circus strip that inspired a recent essay reminded me of the other comics I’d been squirreling away. Per the diamond ad, they were not "disposable distractions"!
In hopes that winter will come again, I’ve decided to share my stash. All the delicious morsels are laid bare- no tough nuts to crack. That’s what the comics do. They hold up a mirror and reflect a lot of truths in an approachable way. Witty or corny, pointed or gentle, they pack a punch. They are truth tellers in an effortless and economical way, because of fewer, better words. They unintentionally champion the Rules.
So loyal ‘squirrels’ who have decided to stick with me, enjoy these fall tidbits while I crack the next nut, Writings on Robin’s Rules.
Note: It’s a stash of mixed nuts coming your way. Pickles (who my nest mate and I now are), Zits (who we used to be), Lockhorns (who we never hope to be), Cathy (RIP, thankfully), good old Blondie, Pearls, Salt & Pepper, and even a New Yorker to flirt with sophistication. Find your favorites.