How to Stay Positive When the Colors Turn Cold

Animated Advice from Four Green Sages

You may find yourself hauling green things into your home this month. A tree. A wreath.

A gloriously hideous sweater. Whatever it takes to keep things lively when Mother Nature goes a little grey. The ancient Celts and Norse did it centuries ago, believing evergreen plants like holly could not only ward off witchcraft, but bring good luck for the coming year.

They were not wrong. Green is powerful, and we can all use some extra mojo this season.

The single reason Life is Good exists is to spread the power of optimism. We’re always open to new tips for tapping into the positive, particularly when the sun is making limited appearances. Seeking fresh wisdom from the mystical color of harmony, growth and renewal,

I scheduled a Zoom with four all-time green legends to ask how they manage to stay positive during the winter months. Here’s what they had to say.

Kermit the Frog: It ain’t easy, my friend. As soon as the swamp freezes over, everyone goes a little hermit on Kermit.  It takes more effort to find those rainbow connections. Real time or Facetime with family, firepit fly roasts with friends- they keep the lines open. And you can’t forget to stoke your own fire, right? In the darkest months, how do we find that “invincible summer” within?  For me, it’s simple. When the bike’s away, the banjo must play. Once I start strumming, the ideas start humming, and I can find my rhythm again. You know what I’m already dreaming of building in the woods next spring?  An amphi-theater.  Get it?  Amphi-theater… You gotta keep laughing, even at the croakers.       

Yoda: (Nods) Agreed, my young apprentice. Humor is an absolute lightsaber. And the summer of curiosity, our winter can be. Use the starkest season to sharpen our minds, we must. Read. Write. Mentor the younglings. They can make you feel like you’re seven hundred again. The Force is strong with us when we focus not on the obstacle but on the opportunity. We see it when we believe it. Stay active and eat healthy, we must… Stew or stew not. There is no fry.

Shrek: (Shakes head at Yoda)  Speaks in riddles, that one- but big energy for a wee lad!…

I’m with Kermit: Ya gotta laugh, especially at yourself. I don’t smell so good, but I can see real well. Especially ‘round the holidays, I see people getting all twisted up in knots over gifts and formalities. Keep it real and keep it rough around the edges, ‘cause that’s what life is. It ain’t

no fairy tale, but we get to write it ourselves.   

The Hulk: Truth, Shrek. People are stressed. I try to help by pulling a car out of a snowbank, or leaping on a roof to fix lights. Does that make me the green GOAT? No, but it fills my cup.  I don’t listen to the noise about gaining weight over the holidays. Whether I’m at nine-eighty or a thousand pounds doesn’t matter, as long as I’m doing some good. If I start holding back on the figgy pudding, I get hangry, and you wouldn’t like me when I’m hangry… Deep breathing. Meditation. Lots of squats. Lifting others, with kind words or jacked biceps, helps me access the light. We attract what we radiate.  

Kermit: And if you happen to attract the haters, the hecklers in the balcony? Like Hulky said, tune out the noise. It ain’t the critic who counts. And turn down the news while you’re at it.

Get the crucial stuff from reliable sources, but don’t let it consume you. Life’s too short. Ten years for the average frog! The only reason I’m still here- any of us are here- is love. Just look

at the weird wisdom and strange shades of chartreuse assembled here today. We all believe the world will keep getting better if we lend a hand. Or a hoof. Or a paw. Or whatever’s at the end of my front legs… We help each other through the darker days, then we celebrate together when the sun comes out. It’s kinda that simple.

That sounded like my cue on this rare blue-sky day to let Kermit and his crew jump.

I thanked each character for their time, and wondered which green nuggets were the gold to guide us all through the winter ahead.  These three tips shined brightest:

1. Prioritize real time and conversation with loved ones (Connection found)
2. Be selective with info intake (Include content that lifts and inspires you)
3. Tap into humor (your own + your favorite sources) and creativity (whether it’s building, baking or banjo) as frequently as you can

Having gained clarity from these green giants of the big screen, I cancelled my later call with Poison Ivy, The Wicked Witch and assorted vegetable mascots. 

John Jacobs believes in free guacamole and the Boston Celtics winning the NBA title in 2024.