Tears & Laughter: Well, that's just life

I was a big fan of Little Lulu when I was a kid growing up in Sandflat.

Little Lulu has been around a long time. She was introduced in comic strip that first appeared in The Saturday Evening Post in 1935. The loopy haired, quick-witted Little Lulu Moppet was intentionally a girl. Creator Marjorie “Marge” Buell explained that a girl could get away with more than a little boy.

The single panel debut had Little Lulu appearing as a flower girl who was strewing the aisle with banana peels rather than rose petals.

By my time in Sandflat in the 1970’s, Little Lulu had long since evolved into having her own monthly comic book – which were extremely popular at the time. Being such a well-known character, she had made her way to the TG&Y in the form of coloring books, paper dolls, and puzzles. She had her own line of toys. She had jewelry sets, ironing sets, tea sets, and pots.

I had all but forgotten about her until I saw a Little Lulu puzzle at an antique shop.

It reminded me of days gone by. It has always amused me how even though times inevitably change, there are some things that remain essentially the same.

Years have a way of erasing memories that are of the day-to-day mundane routine of life, but there was one Little Lulu story that stuck with me. Little Lulu had entered her house and was very upset because the boy next door had saved an icicle from the winter in the freezer and had slipped the icicle down the back of her dress.

Then, to make matters worse, while she was jiggling around trying to get the icicle out of her dress, he threw a snowball at her that he had saved alongside the icicle. She was crying to her mother, who was busy dusting, saying she just wanted to get away from it all.

Her mother put down the duster and picked up the mop. She tried to console Little Lulu by telling her she understood the feeling of needing a break from the everything for a while. That there were other things that also got tiresome day after day.

Little Lulu was shocked by this revelation. She asked her mother what did she had to be tired about?

Her mama told her not to tell anybody, but that sometimes she got a tiny bit tired of cleaning the house.

Little Lulu was like, “A nice house like this?”

And her mama explained she didn’t mind doing it, she just understood the feeling of sometimes needing a break from it all.

Little Lulu got all upset because she didn’t like the idea of her poor mother feeling tired from managing the house, and she didn’t want to put up with the neighborhood boy anymore. She was feeling sorry for the both of them. She said she bet that nobody understood what women have to go through.

That is when her mother smiled at her and spoke with a voice of reason saying, “Well, that’s life, dear.”

It has been a while, but it still holds true.

Seems like in the next scene they talk the daddy into a vacation to Alaska…but nonetheless, say it again mama. Say it again.

Amanda Walker is a columnist and contributor with AL.com, The Birmingham News, Selma Times Journal, Thomasville Times, West Alabama Watchman, and Alabama Gazette. Contact her at Walkerworld77@msn.com or at https://www.facebook.com/AmandaWalker.Columnist