.
In my backyard I have
two vernal ponds, nature made of course. A home for mosquitoes and
other flying insects, they also are the home, this year, for almost a
dozen frogs and it has turned out to be one of Lucky's favorite
places to 'hang out' in the yard. Hoping to catch one of the little
critters, he stands patiently, waiting for one to make its move back
into the pond or pop his head up from beneath the surface of the
water. As the Spring has transitioned to Summer, there seems to be a
new and added respect by each, as they face off frog eye to dog eye
and while Lucky would like to get really up close and personal, they
are just a bit too quick for him. But that does not prevent him from
continuing to try to get just a little bit closer. Always on guard
and living in fear of the big black dog, 'it must not be easy being
green.”
These are also the
famous words in the title of a song that most of us, at least in my
generation, may be familiar. Kermit the Frog of Muppet fame, hit the
television screen in 1955 and over the years his wisdom and insight
have offered suggestions and advice on living a happier life.
Today, being 'green' is
often associated with protecting the environment, but in his early
life, Kermit struggled with his color and being who he was, something
we all do on occasion.
I'll admit it. I am a
big Kermit fan, and to this day when I hear his squeaky little voice,
it brings a smile to my face, even if the day is not going well and
every day, according to Kermit, might not always a good day. In his
unique way, Kermit was able to offer sound advice in order to get
through the rough spots. Here are just a few of some of his
suggestions...
”Changes
happen as time passes by. Soon enough we all grow up.”
“When green
is all there is to be , it could make you wonder why, I am green and
it'll
do fine, its beautiful and it's what I want to be.”
“With good
friends you can't lose.”
“Here's
some simple advice: Always be yourself. Never take yourself too
seriously...and
beware of the advice from experts.
“Life's
like a movie. Write your own ending.”
And maybe my favorite
regardless of your age.....”Just because you haven't found your
talent yet doesn’t mean you don't have one!”
It was the mid-70's and
we had just moved to Maine. I had accepted a position as assistant
principal at an area high school, my first administrative experience.
Like most assistant principal positions, I was in charge of student
disciple: assigning detentions, suspending students for misbehavior
and other related events, all of the things that make you popular
with the students. It was only about two weeks into the school year
when I faced my first student suspension. I remember the student’s
name and the reason for the suspension as if it were yesterday. If I
thought hard enough, I could probably remember the day of the week
and the weather.
The student waited in
my office as I called his parent to come pick him up and take him
home. I calmly discussed the reasons for the suspension and the
number of days the student was to be out of school. On the outside, I
tried to remain as cool as a cucumber, but on the inside, my stomach
was doing cartwheels.
As the mother left my
office with her son , she continued to scream and yell at me and
called me several names I have not heard since. As I sat back, she
returned to the doorway of my office and said...”It's not easy
being green, is it? She knew her son had been my first suspension!
Those words stuck with me forever.
Aside from being a
color, anytime we start something new we are all green at first,
lacking in experience but always gaining confidence as we grow. The
student's mom, despite her verbal rampage, had prepared me well. And
when she stuck her head back into the office I knew everything would
be OK.
