“Won’t you be my neighbor?”
The iconic line said in every episode of the long-running children’s TV show, Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood. This show, being my favorite as a kid and into my college years, ran for an amazing 33 seasons (from 1968–2001).
Believe it or not, I even scheduled my engineering classes around that 30-minute time slot, of 11:30 AM — noon, where this show ran during the day.
It was my reprieve, my happy place. And, for 30 minutes a day, it let me be a kid again. It gave me an escape and it filled my soul.
Now, as a woman who recently turned 50 years young, I yearn for more Mister Rogers in the world. I ache to bring back his neighborhood and all the messages of love, and hope, and compassion he shared.
Mister Rogers was a legend.
Even aside from his novel programming, which often broke down stereotypes and brought light to hard topics such as racism and bullying, Fred Rogers was an advocate for change … real, meaningful change.
According to Wikipedia, Fred Rogers was an icon of epic proportions:
“His work in children’s television has been widely lauded, and he received more than forty honorary degrees and several awards, including the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2002 and a Lifetime Achievement Emmy in 1997. He was inducted into the Television Hall of Fame in 1999.”
He was my hero, plain and simple.
He was my safe space when the shit storms of my childhood were almost too much to bear. When my father was abusive, Mister Rogers was there to console me, to offer me a safe space, to teach me how to love myself, and to create a magical land I could escape to.
He was a beacon of light, and represented the kind of human I aspired to be. I learned so much from Mister Rogers, in my youth, and his kookie neighborhood of unique characters and different friends.
I remember when he testified before the Senate, fighting for funding of public television programming to continue. As a kid growing up with little resources, public television and PBS were everything to me. He used his platform to raise awareness, and amplified his voice, along with the voices of others, to shine a light on systemic issues and tough problems.
If you haven’t watched the testimony he delivered to Congress, on behalf of public television, I encourage you to do so …
When I think about how he advocated for children’s education and for their mental health, I think about how we need that kind of advocacy now.
In his testimony before the Senate, Mister Rogers shares:
“We need to have more of this neighborhood expression of care.”
This neighborhood expression of care for our kids, for their mental health, for ours, too. I think about how he taught kids the fundamentals of feeling their feelings and emotions. To give them choices when the build-up of those emotions gets too big for them.
He was laying the groundwork for their (our) emotional intelligence.
In his acceptance speech for The Lifetime Television Achievement Award, he reminded us to take 10 seconds to remember the people who have helped each of us. Again, before he even thinks about himself, he demonstrates the power of practicing gratitude in the moment.
Beyond just having an attitude of gratitude, Mister Rogers embodied and personified what it means to practice gratitude regularly.
As you can see when the pan the audience of fellow daytime actors, his request is met with heartfelt adoration and admiration. There isn’t a person in attendance who isn’t touched by his presence and simple request.
Imagine if we all could put that kind of unabashed, selfless love into the world. Imagine a world where we truly “loved thy neighbor.”
And, all I can do is sob as I rewatch his moment when he was inducted into the Television Hall of Fame, and his former guest, Jeff Erlanger, who was a boy in a wheelchair (now grown up) joins him unexpectedly on stage.
The pure love and delight Mister Rogers expresses in seeing his former guest moves me on the deepest level. He exudes such joy and grace.
He embodied at the deepest level what it means to be a servant leader.
Whether it was when he stood in front of Congress, or when he was giving an acceptance speech for one of the numerous awards he so rightly received, or as he welcomed every guest into his neighborhood and into his heart, Fred Rogers demonstrated the power of love always.
And, from everything documented about him, who we saw on that glorious 30-minute program was the same Fred Rogers who showed up fully in his life and in the world. He even responded to each and every piece of fan mail he received, where he would write deep, meaningful, and personal messages of gratitude back.
He exemplified what it means to be in service and of service. He was as grounded in his fame, as he was in the lessons he taught so many of us.
He was a lighthouse for many of us who felt lost at sea and in search of the way back home … to ourselves, and to our truth.
He was the safe harbor, as was his beloved neighborhood.
Now, imagine if, for a moment what the world would look like and feel like we all tapped into our own inner Mister Rogers.
Consider how the world might be if we each did our part.
If we chose love, no matter what. If we practiced gratitude in every moment. If we came from the most generous assumption of others, and we practiced real empathy, kindness, compassion, and grace.
Imagine if we chose to lead from love, with love.
Now, while Fred Rogers left this earth at the age of 74, in 2003, he left a legacy of hope and love for current and new generations to carry forward.
It is our opportunity and responsibility to pick that torch back up, to carry it through these trying times, and to let the light of love shine through.
And, we must do better.
We. Must. Do. Better. Our children’s futures depend upon it. Our mental health, and theirs, is on the line. We need to reground ourselves, to affirm our truth, to rise above our egos.
Here is one of my favorite quotes from Fred Rogers that reminds us of the Living Legacy he led, and shared with the world … and, I believe it can serve as a guide for how we all can do better:
“Listening is where love begins: listening to ourselves and then to our neighbors.”
Isn’t it time to listen? To really listen. To listen to our own hearts and the hearts of others. To listen to truth. To listen to love.
I believe it is … and, I’m here for it.