Wasabi Sunshine

My wife and I welcomed our son, Avery Dax, to the planet a few days ago. Being a new dad is a strange experience. I’ve always lived my life in a constant state of flux. The most reliable thing about life is change, but nothing can prepare you for this.

Every one has a different experience, though you can certainly empathize with the experiences of others. One or two things could be just like your experience, but you can’t possibly know what it’s like until it happens.

My wife had to have a c-section, so during her recovery I threw myself into the task of taking care of what needed to be done. Sleep and rest and food be damned, my family needed me. Then, once I had my first night of real rest (4 hours of nightmares and partial wakefulness) I woke up and wept. I wept harder than I’ve wept in a long, long time.

I wept for at least an hour straight and couldn’t stop. It was exactly like becoming a vampire. The transition was too much to bear. So I decided to try and cope by drawing comics about my experience.

My friend Maré does wonderful journal comics. They just feel like they come from the most natural place in the world. They are pure expression. In the moment, relevant, personal, beautiful. I’ve been making comics for over a decade, but I’ve usually made them as performance. I am biting Maré’s spirit of free expression as a jumping off point, to help me let go. Making comics for myself has been very therapeutic. Here’s the first one.

I’m still here at the hospital. Probably discharged tomorrow. I’ll post them as they come, as well as on my twitter. (@chrisfurniss)