Pointless Pursuits

Today Ellen was watching a Charlie Brown show trailer, sneak peek, whatever you want to call it. I remember how as a kid I would get so mad at the snotty "little red-haired girl" that Charlie Brown would vainly pursue. Why couldn't she at least give him the time of day, send him a Christmas card, or whatever?

Then I would get so annoyed with Peppermint Patty and HER relentless pursuit of Charlie Brown.

According to Wikipedia the little Red-haired girl was based on a real character in Schulz's life, someone named Donna. Read about it here.

But I was thinking today that this teaches us, as Charles Schulz no doubt intended, two separate lessons.

First. The LRHG remains, in the comic strip, unseen and unnamed, and she causes Charlie Brown many sad moments...in which he pines for what is unattainable, ephemeral. But here following behind him in an equally vain pursuit, is Peppermint Patty. She is unabashed in her devotion to Charlie Brown.

How often do we vainly set our sights on something we believe to be IT? How many tears do we cry over what we can't attain? How much heartache do we force ourselves to endure over what wasn't meant to be?

And yet, right behind us, chasing us down, is what we are really looking for. True love.

Second. In Peppermint Patty's case. Here she is chasing something someone who KNOWS how she feels, who rejects her again and again, and yet she continues wasting time on him. C'mon girlfriend. Get a life! Leave him be. If he won't get a clue, if he keeps slapping you down, wipe the dust off your feet and find someone who appreciates you.

It's equally as vain to keep bloodying your head on a brick wall.

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