During a difficult time in her life, Judy Collins had fallen prey to alcoholism and was on the edge of a chasm from which there would be no return. She was saved by her friend and fan Jon Stone and the Muppets of Sesame Street. Collins was able to find a reason to keep going; she was able to find an intermittent beacon that brought her back to a safe place full of love and respect.

Collins found the Muppets absolutely convincing. The characters established a safe place for every performer but perhaps more so for Collins because Jim Henson recognized that she was an alcoholic. Kermit and the gang allowed Collins to be more playful and to be a child again. Collins was able to establish a connection with the Muppets, which she says was part of the magic of her Sesame Street experience.

This story of Judy Collins is in “Street Gang: The Complete History of Sesame Street.” It strikes two chords in me. The first chord is related to creativity. Collins talked about feeling comfortable and safe with the Muppets, being able to play with them and become a child again. These are attributes that allow people to become more creative. There’s a place where they can take a risk and make a mistake without having to worry about the social or economic consequences; it’s safe. Play is the way that people learn; it allows for experimentation and growth. Becoming childlike allows people to discover the world around them and seek out answers to questions that are both simple and profound. Like the question found in the “Rainbow Connection.”

The second chord relates to our penguins. My wife makes the great penguins you see on our website. We have adopted several for ourselves. Piotr the first penguin and Perpetua the second one. We have the penguin that someone else made and my wife gave me on our second date, and a penguin that she commissioned but wasn’t exactly what she wanted. We have Patch, our black and white travelling companion, who is always telling stories, mostly about fish and Penny in her rain slicker, who started traveling with us first and always wants to fly. Recently, Checkers found himself with is forever family in New Zealand; we’ve been interacting with him on Instagram and Facebook. Of course, we have the other penguins who get hatched here and wait for a family to adopt.

Having all these penguins around allows us to play, feel childlike and connect with who we are through them. Each has its own personality, and each provides its own kind of support. Our penguins may not be Muppets of Sesame Street, but they are a great way for us to be able to find our freedom and happiness.