Life Lessons from a Frog

There is a curious thing about me.  One that my loved ones find “quirky.”  I am in love with a frog.  As I grow older my love for this frog only gets more intense and less rational.  Of course this is not romantic, he is after all in love with a pig.  Well, maybe not in love, but in a relationship that can only be described as complicated.   I see him more as a mentor.

Perhaps it is juvenile to be inspired by a frog but I find Kermit is one of my favorite philosophers and humanitarians.  Jim Henson created a character that is wise, silly, kind and fiercely loyal.

Why Kermit?  I remember as a child watching the Muppet Show and Seasame Street.  Something about him and his gang of misfits has always drawn me in.  He represents many of the qualities that I value in people and relationships.

Life is Complicated

The beauty of the Muppets is in their simplicity.  They are who they are and they are happy that way.  Like most children’s programs there are villains and heroes, there are challenges to overcome and there are happy endings.  But for the Muppets that is often not the point.  The story is a journey: a contrived story line, a show within a show.  The plot is usually an after thought.

The bad guys often get the same respect as the good guys.  The bad guys are usually not bad but just misunderstood.  The good guys get made fun of as much as the bad guys.  No one is safe from a bad joke, an unfortunate piano accident or sarcastic ridicule.  That doesn’t matter.  What matters is the relationships, the team work and getting on with the show.  That is how I feel about life.

Acceptance, Loyalty and Leadership

Chickens, strange alien creatures, and an odd assortment of monsters follow Kermit’s lead.  He accepts his friends for all their faults and manages to bring out the best in each of them,  whether it be a mildly funny bear or accident prone scientists or a couple of crotchety old men.  He is the one constant that brings them together even when he doesn’t always have it together himself.

Jim Henson once said:

Kermit’s function on this show is very much like my own in that he’s trying to hold together this group of crazies.  And that’s not unlike what I do.

All around Kermit is total mayhem (even Electric Mayhem). He is able to be the glue that keeps his gang of misfits together.  As a parent I can relate.   I strive to be all of these things for my friends and family.  But like Kermit sometimes I just have to wave my hands in the air, scream wildly and just join in.

Genuine

Here’s some simple advice: Always be yourself. Never take yourself too seriously.  And beware of advice from experts, pigs and members of parliament.  -Kermit

I was once asked what is the quality I find the most central to who I am.  The answer is being genuine.  I find it difficult not to be exactly who I am.  I value this in myself and others above all else.  But despite this I often screw it up.

We all wear masks, or act like puppets at times.  Most of the time this doesn’t feel good.  It makes us feel like we are something we are not.  It makes us distrust our relationships with others and ourselves.  Kermit is literally a puppet and yet  he is always unaware that he is not real.  But in many ways that makes him more like the rest of us.  He has outlived his creator and lives on anyway.

Wisdom

I’ve got a dream too, but it’s about singing and dancing and making people happy.  That’s the kind of dream that gets better the more people you share it with.  And well, I’ve found a whole bunch of friends who have the same dream.  And it kind of makes us like a family.  -Kermit

My draw to Kermit reminds me of being young, having dreams and fighting for those dreams.  He reminds me of my family, both the genetic ones and the chosen ones. There doesn’t always have to be a reason to do what I do but I should always have a dream.

Like me, Kermit reflects inwardly in his quiet moments.  He often reflects upon his greenness and how difficult life can be.  Mostly he thinks about the wonders of the world, most famously he wonders about rainbows.  These are the reasons why I love that frog.

I leave you with a slightly different spin on one of Kermit’s most famous quotes because with Statler and Waldorf around Kermit doesn’t often get the last word.

Life’s like a movie, write your own ending.  Keep believing, keep pretending.  We’ve done just what we set out to do.  Thanks to the lovers the dreamers and you.  -Kermit and the Muppets