Everywhere You Look - Print+Promo

By Elise Hacking Carr

It’s been rough for the comedy world with the passing of American treasure Betty White and America’s dad, Bob Saget. White’s death on Dec. 31, less than three weeks shy of her 100th birthday, closed out a trying year, uniting us in a cathartic shout-along: REALLY 2021?! Though I’d personally like to think this was her impeccable comedic timing getting one last laugh.

But Saget … what a punch to the gut. So young. So unexpected. So many heartfelt tributes — all personalized, but each with a singular theme: that the comedian was as lovely a human as he was funny. For me, a 25-minute video posted on musician John Mayer’s Instagram feed stood out. The video highlighted Mayer and celebrity roast master Jeff Ross performing one final task for their close friend: getting his car from Los Angeles International Airport to his family home. During their drive down the 405 Freeway, the two traded stories through teary eyes. Here is a snippet, as told by Mayer:

You know how effusive you have to be in your love for everyone in your life, for each and every person he loved to be told by another, ‘He loved you so much’? Everyone is held into place by Bob’s insistence on telling everyone how much he loved everyone.

I’ve never known a human being on this Earth who could give that much love, individually and completely, to that many people in a way that made each person feel like he was a main character in their life and they were a main character in his life.

It’s easy to forget about genuine empathy, love and kindness in a world that’s set on testing us at every turn. We’re dealing with threats to public health and economic recovery, supply chain hell, and sharp turnover increases and mandatory overtime that lead to major burnout. People are worried and tired — our industry not excluded, as you’ll see on the pages of this month’s edition of Print+Promo Marketing. Will it get better? At some point. Until then, consider this your friendly reminder that good people do exist. A simple “How are you, really?,” a reunion at a trade show, or a meaningful collaboration could go a long way. If not today, try again tomorrow.

In the meantime, I think we could all use a Danny Tanner hug right now.