Searching For Mr. Rogers
I was recently on a jobsite in a warehouse. There are many different sections of the ware house. As I was up on a platform, I looked over the rail and saw a giant horizontal wheel in constant motion turning the convert belt. In another section, there are little buckets being moved along another conveyor belt like model trains. Suddenly, my mind began to drift back to a memory.
As far back as my memory serves, I would sit on the worn out green carpet of my grandparents house. At 10am, I'd make sure I was in that spot, right in front of the TV so I could look up at it like a movie screen and be mesmerized. Sesame Street would hold my interest for the hour it was on. Those cousins of The Muppets would make a great connection throughout my life. I wrote about them in my article “The Muppets” .
After Sesame Street, you'd be swept away to travel through this little town of Mister Rogers' Neighborhood. He was my friend because each day, I felt like he was talking only to ME. I can remember him showing me little movies on Picture Picture, which was a video screen with a frame around it. I can remember the over sized traffic light hanging between the living room and the kitchen. I remember watching as Trolley would whisk us away to The Land of Make Believe.
The thing that brought this memory on, was that it reminded me of the trips Mr. Rogers took to various places to see how things worked. As I stared at the giant wheel, I could hear Mr. Rogers asking how it works and the simplicity in the explanation. “This wheel turns and grabs the conveyor belt with the little teeth on the side making the belt turn and move.” Then the genuine fascination in Mr. Rogers's voice as he'd reply “Wow! That's very interesting”.
Then, I thought, this generation of children growing up, will never know the kindness that Mr. Rogers had shown to millions of kids over the 33 years that he was on the air. If you look at the shows made for children today, none of them has the element of learning anything. There are cartoons filled with insults, there are badly written sitcoms with canned laughter thrown in so you know when you are supposed to laugh at the inappropriate jokes. Each show is very fast paced as if they are trying to cram in as much as they can in the 22 minutes they are given to entertain.
Mr. Rogers took his time with everything and every one. From every account from anyone who ever came into contact with him, they all say the same thing: “He made me feel like I was the only one that mattered.”. Even on his show when he would look directly at me and talk nice and slow, taking time to explain things to me. If you ask any adult today if they have ever encountered someone like Mr. Rogers, they will all tell you that no one else had reached them on the level that he did.
Mahatma Gandhi once said “be the change you wish to see in the wold”. That's exactly what Mr. Rogers did. Although he never called them out by name, I believe it was The Three Stooges that inspired him to begin his TV show. He has said that he saw someone throw a pie in someone's face and thought it was very mean. He wanted to bring something very different to television for children. He wanted them to know they had someone they could trust and talk to. Mr Roger always said “Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping.” He was the ultimate helper.
Although he had retired, Mr. Rogers, came out of retirement to record a special message to help children deal with the tragedy of 9/11. It's just what we needed at that time. In this trying time, I believe children could use a Mr. Rogers to help guide them through the troubled times. |
It's amazing how Mr Rogers can bring me to tears with one simple phrase because he was the first person, outside of my family, that made sure that I stay true to myself. At the end of each episode her would look at me and say “I like you just the way you are”.
In my quest to find words of encouragement, I stumbled upon a podcast series called “Finding Fred”. Through a series of interviews with both the people who worked side by side with the man, as well as the now grown children that he impacted, host, Carvell Wallace is determined to find the answer to one question. Mr. Rogers loved everyone the way they are, but how do you apply that love to those who seem to be out to harm you? It’s a very important and thought provoking question. One that I believe the answer could help the world be a better place.
After staring at that wheel for some time, I realized, I will never stop Searching For Mr. Rogers.
Until next time,
Thanks for reading and Enjoy Yourself!
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