If I were to say the names Kermit the Frog, Miss Piggy, Fozzy Bear, Gonzo, Elmo, or Animal, you’d likely recognize these as some of the iconic Muppets from the brilliance of Jim Henson. Many of these characters, if not all of them, have appeared at one time or another on the public television series, Sesame Street.
One of my favorite characters of the Sesame Street series, lovable, furry ole’ Grover, made his initial debut during the first season of Sesame Street as the unnamed “hairy one” or “fuzzy face.” Early iterations of this beloved character, later known as “Gleep,” appeared sporadically throughout the first season of the series. He was green and grey, with a red nose, a bit mischievous, and spoke with a gritty voice.
Gleep also appeared on the Ed Sullivan show in 1967.
The lovable, cute, furry monster that we know and love today, Grover, debuted on the Ed Sullivan show in 1970. It was there that we saw the transition from “Gleep”, a green and grey monster, to “Grover,” sporting his iconic blue fur and pink nose. This new look carried over into the premiere episode of the second season of Sesame Street.
In the 1970s and 1980s, Sesame Street ran a series of scripts, a parody of the Adventures of Superman, featuring Grover as Grover Kent, the “ace doorknob salesman for Acme, Inc.” who was secretly the well-intended, but inept Super Grover. He sported a pink cape, a medieval knight’s helmet, with a Superman-style crest on his cape and T-shirt, sporting the letter G.
He was introduced in each episode with the lines: “Presenting the further adventures of everybody’s favorite hero. The man who’s faster than lightning, stronger than steel, and smarter than a speeding bullet. It’s…Super Grover.”
When my kids were little, we purchased a book, “The Monster at the End of This Book,” featuring Grover. It quickly became one of their most requested bedtime stories. The storyline was simple and entertaining. Grover repeatedly tried to prevent the reader from turning the pages of the book because there was a monster at the end of the book.
Grover uses rope, nails, and a brick wall in an effort to keep kids from turning the pages of the book, all to no avail. The animations were entertaining, and Grover’s responses as the pages were turned were classic. My kids couldn’t wait to get to the end of the book so Grover could discover that the monster at the end of the book was Grover himself.
After Grover teasing the reader about how “scared” he knew they were, the book ends with an embarrassed Grover, head in hands, muttering to himself: “Oh, I’m so embarrassed.”
A few years ago, I saw a sequel to this book where Grover desperately tries to stop Elmo from reaching the end of the book. He ultimately convinces Elmo to leave the book and enter from the back of the book. When Grover and Elmo both reach the end of the story, they end up scaring each other.
The premise of getting my kids interested in reading, curious about what was on the next page, and excited to get to the end was what made this fun. My reading the book in the voice of Grover likely added to the fun, creating a memory my kids, now grown, still remember.
Now, I get to do this with my grandkids. Life is good.
So, what’s the life lesson from Grover, you may ask? (Of course, there’s a life lesson here.)
Grover was the central character in the book, “The Monster at the End of This Book.” From the first page to the last, this book was all about Grover’s experiences as he valiantly strove to protect the reader from the monster he feared at the end of the book. This was an inside look into the life of Grover Monster.
We share that in common with Grover.
Every day, we are the central characters in the book, “All About You.” From the first page to the last page (yet to be written), this book is about our personal experiences as we valiantly live life. The readers of this book are the people around us who are living life with us or observing from afar.
We are the author, director, and star of our own performance on the stage of life.
We are the heroes, and sometimes we are the villains.
We are the victors, and sometimes we are the victims.
We are the winners, and sometimes we are the losers.
In the book, “The Monster at the End of This Book,” Grover did his best to keep the reader from turning the page. He did not want the reader to get closer to the monster at the end of the book, so he did his level best to keep them on the page they were on and not move forward. He wanted to keep them safe, but in doing so, he wanted them to stop being curious.
In the 1993 classic, “Groundhog Day,” a cynical TV weatherman, Phil Connors (played by Bill Murray), is sent to Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania. His assignment was to report on whether Punxsutawney Phil saw his shadow or not on Groundhog Day. The weatherman finds himself trapped in a time loop, forcing him to relive February 2 over and over again.
While the movie doesn’t reveal how long Phil Connors was trapped in a time loop, it is estimated that he spent between 10 and 40 years (and by some estimates, as long as 10,000 years) reliving the same day. He finally broke out of the time loop when he stopped making each day all about him and his selfish needs, and he committed to self-improvement and started living his life for the benefit of others.
For somewhere between 10 and 40 years, or as long as 10,000 years) Phil Connors lived the same day, stuck on the same page of his life, over and over again. Because of the selfish choices he continually made, Connors was unable to turn the page and move forward with his life. He was rewriting the same page, again and again.
That’s a long time to stay stuck, where you are, as you are, living life unchanged.
Every day, you and I are writing another page in the book of our lives. Our thoughts, opinions, beliefs, and behaviors are being chronicled in real time as we add to the “Story of Us.” As others are reading our lives, they are seeing how our choices, and the corresponding consequences, are shaping the narrative of how we live life.
The question you and I must answer is a simple one:
Are we writing new content on a new page each day, or
are we rewriting the same content on each new page?
In the Stephen King classic, “The Shining,” Jack Nicholson plays the part of an aspiring author and recovering alcoholic, Jack Torrance, with writer's block. He takes a job as a winter caretaker for an isolated hotel in Colorado in hopes he can get his aspiring writing career on track. Along the way, Jack descends into madness and starts to terrorize his family.
At a critical part of the move, his wife, Wendy, discovers Jack’s manuscript, only to find hundreds of pages of repetitions of a single sentence, “All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy.” He was rewriting the same content on a new page, day after day after day.
Phil Connors was finally able to turn the page. For Jack Torrance, his life tragically could not.
Life is always moving forward, inviting us to go on a journey toward what’s next.
Life should be about continuous progress as we embrace a world of new experiences every single day. Life is a journey of ongoing change, with each moment presenting an opportunity for growth and discovery. Life is inviting us to be an active participant in its unfolding narrative, writing our own script and performing on the stage it has created for us to be the feature star.
It requires that we embrace the unknown, focus on the process, and engage in continuous learning and growth. Life is about finding meaning and purpose as well as overcoming obstacles and persevering until we succeed.
Phil Connors was finally able to turn the page of his life when he discovered his passion, his calling, and his purpose. When he took the focus off himself and his own selfish needs and engaged in introspection, he discovered that he was capable of saying, doing, and becoming more than a cynical weatherman.
Rather than rewriting the same cynical words on a page and endlessly repeating them day after day, Connors turned the page and started writing engaging content that invited his readers to join him on a journey of self-discovery and service to others.
It’s important to remember that even though life is always moving forward, we have a choice.
We always have a choice.
We can choose to move with life, be an active participant in its unfolding narrative, and move with it into what’s next. When we choose to move with life, each day we get to write something new and exciting. We get to document what we’re learning, how we are improving, and the difference we are making in the lives of others.
As an alternative, we can choose to stay where we are, refuse to move forward, and relive the same day (and the same experiences) over and over. Rather than excitedly moving forward to what’s next, we choose not to turn the page, to remain where we are, and stay exactly where we started the day before.
We have a choice. We always have a choice.
Every choice has a corresponding consequence.
Phil Connors learned several valuable life lessons as he found himself reliving the same day again and again. He learned to be selfless by helping others. He developed empathy and cultivated compassion. Connors experienced the importance of living in the present moment, appreciated the little things we often overlook or ignore, and found meaning in taking the attention off of himself and onto the lives of others.
We can too.
Grover spent his time trying to keep himself and his readers from moving forward. He repeatedly put impediments, physical barriers, in his own way to stay where he was. He tied pages together, nailed them together, and erected a strong, heavy brick wall to prevent any opportunity to move forward.
Grover allowed fear of the unknown to hold him back from experiencing what life wanted to reveal to him. The end of the story reveals to Grover (and the reader) that many of our fears and anxieties are self-created, and facing them can lead to self-discovery and even humor.
So, what’s the lesson Grover is trying to teach us?
First, we have to confront our fears. Fear is often false evidence appearing real. Our brain attempts to protect us from perceived danger or from venturing into the unknown, even when it doesn’t really exist. Fear can lead to frantic attempts to control a situation, even when those actions are unwarranted or ultimately futile.
Secondly, we have to embrace the unknown. This is where learning and personal growth take place. If we never venture into the unknown, we will never place ourselves in a position where we discover we are capable of saying, doing, becoming, or accomplishing more. If we never learn anything new, life becomes dull and boring.
Thirdly, we have to break the “Fourth Wall.” Grover speaks directly to the reader, inviting them to be an active participant in the story he is weaving on the pages of this book. He breaks the imaginary barrier between the audience and the performer, inviting the reader to join him on his journey.
We have to build connection with those who are a part of our story. This requires that we get intimate with the supporting actors, as well as the audience, in our own personal story. We may have to add context, insight, or information that fully engages them with us so they become an active part of our story, living life alongside us and experiencing it fully.
The lesson from Grover is simple:
Do we turn the page at the end of the day, and start afresh and anew?
Or, do we stay on the same page, tracing the same words, over and over again?
