Let Jim Henson and His Friends Inspire You in It's Not Easy Being Green

Recently, Facebook rolled out its New Profile, an innovation I generally find rather tedious. However, I liked the new segment in the Info section that allows you to list people who have inspired you. I have lots of names to add, but I started things off with a shortlist of inspirational figures that included, among others, Walt Disney, John Denver and a man I associate with both: Jim Henson.

I grew up watching Henson’s Muppets on Sesame Street and later The Muppet Show and the movies that followed. Permeating every Henson project I’ve seen is youthful exuberance, a willingness to embrace one’s inner insanity and a sense that deep respect and affection among those who have very diverse backgrounds is possible. Watching the Muppets at their playful work never fails to make me feel more encouraged about our capacity to truly enjoy life, and to do so while genuinely caring for each other. Indeed, the two qualities seem intricately linked.

It’s Not Easy Being Green: And Other Things to Consider is a gift book of nearly 200 pages, throughout which Jim’s daughter Cheryl has included numerous quotes from her father as well as his characters and those who lived and worked closely with him. There are more quotes from him in here than anyone else, which gives the reader the pleasant feeling of absorbing wisdom directly from him. There’s a gentleness of spirit and greatness of vision that permeates the pages in these passages about what inspired him and what he hoped to accomplish with his creations. He saw them as entertainers, yes, but he also hoped to use them to urge people to be more considerate and more focused on similarities instead of differences.

“If our ‘message’ is anything,” reads a quote from him in the last chapter, “it’s a positive approach to life. That life is basically good. People are basically good.” That sense of optimism seems to have rubbed off on everyone around him, and it’s interesting to read their comments and get an idea of how these individuals channeled their creativity in positive directions under his influence.

The book is divided into five chapters: Listen to Your Heart, Dynamite Determination, Together We’ll Nab It, It Starts When We’re Kids and A Part of Everything and Everyone. There’s also an introduction, brief bios of everyone quoted in the book, a list of sources and an acknowledgments section. Alongside many of the quotes are doodles from the notebooks Jim kept over the years. These line drawings are whimsical and aptly demonstrate his playful side.

If you’re a fan of the Muppets, you’ll definitely want to check out this charming little volume. I’d also recommend it to anyone who could use a bit of a boost. Whether you’re feeling creatively stifled or despairing about the state of the world, I predict that reading this book will make you feel more upbeat. Jim Henson always embraced the possibilities. How much richer the world is as a result!