One of my favorite phrases has always been “plug away.” Officially, it means to persist through effort—to keep putting one foot in front of the other. But whenever I hear it, I immediately picture the classic cartoon Pluggers, with its affectionate nod to the down-to-earth people who quietly keep the world spinning. Back when my local paper still carried the daily funnies, that panel was a constant highlight. I miss opening the paper to those comics; they had a reliable way of brightening the start of any day.
When I first started working at the Department of Justice, I quickly learned about their morning routine. Early each day, staff scoured the major newspapers, clipped every article relevant to current events, and delivered the compiled packet directly to the senior officials’ desks. Reading the world’s heavy news condensed into a single, relentless stack was a depressing way to begin a morning. After a few weeks of this bleak routine, I noticed a striking omission: there were never any comics. Panels like Doonesbury or sharp political cartoons often made as poignant a commentary on the state of affairs as any New York Times editorial, yet they were entirely shut out.
I suggested—perhaps even gently insisted—that our morning clips include a comic strip or an editorial cartoon or two. At first, the idea was dismissed as utterly ridiculous. But they experienced on the matter my persistence, and before long, a curated comic, an editorial cartoon, or three became a staple of the DOJ’s daily briefing packet. I was told that the White House followed our lead, as well. Years later, colleagues would tease me that bringing cartoons to the morning clips was the single most significant contribution I ever made to the Department of Justice. They might actually have been right.
Humor isn’t merely a distraction from the heavy work of life; it is the lubricant that keeps the gears from grinding to a halt. Whether it’s the sharp wit of Doonesbury, the gentle comfort of Pluggers, or just a terrible pun shared over a second cup of coffee, a moment of levity reminding us not to take ourselves too seriously is the very thing that gives us the strength to keep plugging away.
so true
thank you for this reminder!
I still read the comics in the Washington Post everyday. For 16 years at Treasury, I started my day with The Clips, too. I don’t know if they still do this but I bet it’s a heck of a lot easier to get them from the internet rather the scissors and paste.