i want to date charlie brown.

I hate flying. Not the actual act of flying. In fact, I would love to take some aviation courses. Get a piloting license. Can you image? Would you trust me? Ha! I should say I hate airports…and most airlines. I would much rather jump in my car to get from point A to B. But sometimes, circumstances only permit for air travel. I am that person. One of about four things is going to happen when I go to the airport: 1. My flight will be delayed 2. My flight will be overbooked. 3. My luggage will be lost. 4. Security will do everything short of an anal exam to ensure I am not a terrorist disguised as an average, blonde American. What? If I am really lucky, it is a combination of two or more.

Why? Am I always in an airport when I stumble upon self-realization? I suppose airports are good for that. I mean, they have Starbucks, a surplus of people to judge, nothing but time for thinking. Ah, the stage is set. What is this realization I have come to? It is a simple concept really. As I sipped on my Starbucks in an awkward back to back chair, seating me much too close to the stranger behind me than I feel comfortable with, I began to think. I tend to feel lonely in airports. It’s amazing how lonely one can feel even when being surrounded by hundreds of other human beings. I find that is doesn’t matter how many people you are surrounded by, strangers, or those that love you. If it is not a person whom you desire to be around, then you in turn feel lonely. What was causing this invasion of loneliness and lingering penance during this particular airport visit? Rejection. I am currently coping with a big stinky pile of rejection. And my airport encounter is only making it all the more a reality. In my experience there are three calamities most will encounter in this life, which injure the spirit and soul more than any other. If you are fortunate enough to dodge one or two, then lucky you. Although, sometimes I welcome theses effects. They mature you. They initiate growth. They eventually bestow strength and assist in discovery of courage. Rejection. Betrayal. Loss. Not any real fun, it usually hurts like hell and stings like salt in an open wound, but they sharpen the heart.

Accepting rejection. Accepting that someone does not want you. Accepting the facts. It’s simple really, right? Hmm…if a double tall one pump white mocha with whip could put right a broken heart. A nice pack of cloves might come close, but no cigar. (Drums.) I find that the television show FRIENDS is applicable in many a situation… “This is never going to happen. Accept that.” Rachel’s reply to Ross when he has tried everything short of purchasing her a country of her own to reign over in attempt to win her affections. Ross: “Accept that what?” Rachel: “No, ACCEPT THAT.” Ouch. Denied. You know, there is not really anything you CAN do but sit back and accept the other person’s verdict. Do nothing.

So, what does all of this rejection talk have to do with courting Charlie Brown? I have combated with the hurt of rejection for far too long, much like Charlie Brown. That Brownie Charles was constantly encountering denial and loneliness; until there was Peggy Jean…I had the Christmas special on repeat in my DVD player this weekend. Never thought I would have any coming to Jesus moments from watching good ol Chuck on my tele, but I did! 1. Snoopy is hilarious. I want to be like Snoopy. Can’t help but dance to the beat of his own drum, anytime, anywhere! And he has a great laugh. 2. I want to date Charlie Brown. Upon telling Linus about his Christmas shopping and lack of money for gifts, Charlie speaks of Peggy Jean. The girl he cares for. He wants to buy Peggy Jean a pair of gloves, because when they first met at camp, he noticed that she had such pretty hands, and he wants her pretty hands to be warm. Linus asks Charlie why she can’t just stick her pretty little hands in her pocket to keep them warm. Hahahaha, typical. So anyways, Charlie Brown ends up selling his comic book collection (a man that reads comics also a plus) so he can buy Peggy Jean the gloves. Pays attention to details AND sacrificial. Nice. Lessons to be learned from CB, for men and women of all ages! This Peggy Jean is waiting for her Charlie Brown...

For the fellas, if you do not want to buy a girl gloves to keep her pretty hands warm, then don’t even come close to her in an amorous manner.

And now…a little time in education corner for Red, Rye-Rye, and Tea:
Charlie Brown, the principal character for Peanuts, was named after a co-worker at the Art Instruction Schools; Schulz drew much of his inspiration, however, from his own life:
Like Charlie Brown's parents, Schulz's father was a barber and his mother a housewife. Schulz and Charlie Brown were shy and withdrawn. Schulz had a dog when he was a boy, although unlike Snoopy the beagle, it was a pointer. References to Snoopy's brother Spike living outside of Needles, California were likely influenced by the few years (1928 – 1930) that the Schulz family lived there; they had moved to Needles to join other family members who had relocated from Minnesota to tend to an ill cousin. Schulz's "Little Red-Haired Girl" was Donna Johnson, an Art Instruction Schools accountant with whom he fell in love. Schulz was planning to propose to her, but before he got an opportunity to do so, she agreed to marry another man. Linus and Shermy were both named for good friends of his (Linus Maurer and Sherman Plepler, respectively). Peppermint Patty was inspired by Patricia Swanson, one of his cousins on his mother's side. (Explains so much.) Schulz had a long association with ice sports, as both figure skating and ice hockey featured prominently in his cartoons. GOOD GRIEF!
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