It’s a beautiful day in the neighborhood

by chuckofish

Today is the birthday of Fred McFeely Rogers (1928-2003), Presbyterian minister and television personality, aka Mister Rogers. His work in children’s television is widely lauded, and he received more than forty honorary degrees and many awards, including a Lifetime Achievement Emmy in 1997 and the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2002. He was inducted into the Television Hall of Fame in 1999.

By the time Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood aired in 1968, I was too old to watch–at 12 I scoffed at his nerdliness–but I have come to appreciate him since then. I can only imagine how nice his calm TV demeanor would have been been to a child compared to a lot of children’s shows with clowns and cartoons. Rogers taught young children about civility, tolerance, sharing, and self-worth “in a reassuring tone and leisurely cadence”. He taught respect.

Things Are Different:
You never know the story
By the cover of the book.
You can’t tell what a dinner’s like
By simply looking at the cook.
It’s something everybody needs to know
Way down deep inside
That things are often different
Than the way they look.
When I put on a costume
To play a fancy part
That costume changes just my looks.
It doesn’t change my heart.
You cannot know what someone’s thinking
By the picture you just took
‘Cause things are often different
From the way they look.

–A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood: the Poetry of Mister Rogers

Well, a toast to Mister Rogers. And as he suggested, take ten seconds to think of the people who helped you become who you are, okay?