I always say I owe my sense of humor to 'The Muppets' because I

In the words of Janet Varney, “I always say I owe my sense of humor to 'The Muppets' because I didn't necessarily know what was going on when I watched 'The Muppet Show,' and obviously, 'Sesame Street' was made just for me.” Thus speaks a voice that carries both innocence and insight, for within her remembrance lies a truth about the mystery of laughter, the power of imagination, and the quiet alchemy of childhood wonder. This is no simple recollection of television and puppets—it is a testament to how the seeds of joy, planted in youth, can blossom into the wisdom of a lifetime.

In the days of our forebears, storytellers gathered the young around the hearth and spoke in fables of beasts that spoke, kings that wept, and fools who taught the wise. The Muppets are the modern inheritors of that sacred tradition. Beneath their felt and string lies the same ancient spirit: the divine play of humor, where laughter becomes the bridge between innocence and understanding. When Janet Varney says she did not understand all that she saw in ‘The Muppet Show’, she reveals the beauty of childlike unknowing—for the child does not yet need to understand in order to feel. She laughs not at the cleverness of the joke, but at the music of the moment, the warmth of the characters, the joy that flows freely without reason.

And then comes ‘Sesame Street,’ that great temple of learning disguised as play. It was indeed “made just for her,” and for all children of that age of wonder. It taught letters and numbers, yes—but more than that, it taught kindness, curiosity, and the gentle rhythm of discovery. There, the child learns that to laugh is also to learn, that to make mistakes is to grow, and that education can wear the mask of joy. Through laughter, the young spirit finds its first taste of freedom. Through play, it learns the shape of compassion.

Consider, then, the story of Charlie Chaplin, the silent jester who made the world laugh without a single word. In times of darkness, when the world was divided by war and despair, Chaplin’s humor was not mere jest—it was salvation. Like The Muppets, he spoke to something beyond logic, beyond intellect. His comedy was a light that revealed the shared humanity beneath sorrow. Janet Varney’s reflection stands upon that same sacred ground: to owe one’s humor to such creations is to owe one’s resilience to laughter itself. For humor is the flame that refuses to be extinguished, even when the winds of hardship blow.

In this, there lies a greater wisdom: that what we absorb in innocence becomes the architecture of our spirit. The stories, songs, and laughter of youth are not forgotten; they become the silent companions of our adult souls. When Varney speaks of owing her humor to The Muppets, she is, in truth, bowing in gratitude to the unseen teachers of her childhood—the voices that shaped her without her knowing. And so it is for all of us: what we watch, what we hear, what we love as children molds the way we face the storms of life.

To live wisely, then, is to guard the child within. Do not silence the laughter that once healed you. Do not forget the songs that once made your heart dance. In the pursuit of wisdom, never discard the wonder that first opened your eyes. For humor is not the enemy of depth—it is its companion, its breath, its release. Even the sages of the East knew this: that a soul that cannot laugh is a soul that cannot see clearly. The fool, after all, often carries the truth the wise have overlooked.

So, let every reader take this lesson to heart: cherish the sources of your joy, no matter how simple or childish they may seem. Revisit them as one might return to a sacred grove—to remember who they once were before the world demanded seriousness. In laughter, you will find strength; in play, you will rediscover purpose. Watch again the stories that raised you. Sing again the songs that once filled your days with light. For humor, born of innocence, is not a weakness—it is the great resilience of the soul, the laughter of the divine echoing through the human heart.