Following the second performance, I stopped to chat with some third graders in the front row as they waited patiently for their teacher to give them the "o.k." to head out. One boy wondered if I'd ever been to a Panther game since I had mentioned that I was from Charlotte in my post-show speech. Another two girls wanted me to hear their rendition of "Loufa," one of the characters from the show.
Then I noticed a girl wearing a cool t-shirt. The shirt said "Peace" with a picture of Kermit the Frog below it. I told her that I liked her shirt and she smiled and said thank you. Then her face turned more serious and she solemnly said "I'm very fond of him." I said that I was too.
Driving back to Charlotte, it struck me that what this little girl said and how she said it was quite profound. How amazing that she would state her love for Kermit in such an adult and meaningful way. It was fantastic and it has stayed with me for these days following the shows. What a term of endearment and a testament to Kermit's enduring legacy.
It made me think back to that sad day in May, 1990 when Jim Henson passed away. Once again I was on the road performing that day when a call from the studio delivered this dark news. I remember how difficult it was to gather my emotions and still perform that morning; no easy feat with such a heavy heart.
The little girl in the Kermit T-shirt also made me think of that simple, wonderful little book called "It's Not Easy Being Green." I treasure my copy of this book, with its folded corners and tear-stained pages. I'm not sure why the philosophies of this small work affect me so, but they do in a deliberate and consistent way. I find it to be an amazing piece every time I picked it up.
So here's to Kermit and the people everywhere who are, as she said, very fond of him.
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