Kermit the Frog's "Note to Self"
This piece originally aired on September 12, 2014.
Kermit the Frog writes a letter of advice to his younger self on CBS This Morning's ongoing "Note to Self" series.
Dear Kermit the tadpole,
This may to come as a shock to you, but I miss my tail. Oh, I know how you feel.
But for now, enjoy being a tadpole, getting to spend your day with nothing to do but swim and eat flies. Savor it. Not the flies -- your childhood. Because once your tail drops and you start hopping, the hopping never stops.
Oh, it will be a good kind of hopping. And the first place you'll hop is Washington D.C. You'll love it. It used to be a swamp. Still is, kind of.
Relax , you're not going into politics. You're going there to break into television on a show called "Sam & Friends." If you think it's not easy being green, wait till you try being black and white -- and working in drag. Sheesh. But that's who you are: you'll do just about anything to make your dreams come true.
Right now I know those dreams may seem impossible, but please don't give up. Dreams are here to challenge us. Always imagine the biggest possible picture of life that you can, and act in service of that picture every single day. Keeping your eye on that big picture will put you in big pictures -- TV shows! Movies! Guest spots! You'll work with the biggest stars in the world! You'll go to New York, London and even Hollywood.
And throughout your journey, you'll meet other fellow dreamers of every size, shape and species. Bears and pigs and penguins and rats and -- uh, whatevers. On the outside these friends may look strange, but on the inside, they're just like you.
I'll warn you: these friend will make your life crazy, chaotic and unforgettably strange. Gee, what Miss Piggy alone will do to you is worth a separate letter -- and power point presentation -- but I'll save that for when you're older.
But whatever craziness these friends bring, it's worth it. Because here's the big secret of life. If you really want to make your dreams come true, share them with others. Your dream is about singing and dancing and making people happy. That's the kind of dream that gets better the more people you share it with. You're friends, and your dreams, just need someone to believe in them. That someone is you.
Before I go, there's one other thing I want to give you a heads up about. In a few years, you're going to meet someone who will help shape your life. No, not the pig. This time I'm talking about a guy named Jim Henson. To tell you the truth is, I'm still not sure what Jim did. But I can tell you this: he'll move you, he'll inspire you and he'll give you a hand whenever you need it, and he'll never leave you out on a limb.
Kermit, I envy the life you have ahead of you. You might even say I'm green with envy. Which reminds me -- have a sense of humor. Life is too silly not to laugh. It's like my friend Jim Henson said, "It's a good life. Enjoy it."
I couldn't have said that better myself.
Amphibiously yours,
Kermit the Frog