Daily Dose of Mister Rogers

I watched too much television as a child, spent hours and hours with the virtual baby sitter, and perhaps as an adult it has helped me to be more careful about how I spend my time, not squandering time in front of the screen. 

There were two shows to which I became particularly attached, the first, The Carol Burnett Show.  The humor was completely adult and flew over my head, but I felt comforted by her presence, she taught me about humor.

The second, more importantly, was Mister Rogers.  An outstanding soul, Fred McFeely Rogers represented warmth and support and a consistent person in my life, more significantly than usual when my parents were divorcing, when I became "that poor sad child" among the whispers of a Jewish community that did not deal well with the then new phenomenon of upheaval in families.

Of course today, with a 60% divorce rate and all sorts of alternative family situations, no one blinks, but at the time, it was a huge stigma and left me socially isolated.

As a single mother raising a child in Israel, where anything goes and no day is predictable, some days turn out better than others;  recently I discovered a one and a half minute clip on youtube which has become part of my daily routine.  If you google "Mister Rogers Farewell," he speaks to my generation, the one that grew up with him as a teacher, role model and friend.  He looks into the camera and I feel like he is actually looking at me and through me, talking to me and no one else.  He says those words that resonate because they have been programmed inside me, words that strengthen my inner voice even I am not aware.

Mister Rogers, long gone from this physical plane, still makes me feel good about myself, and I bless him for it.

If you want to laugh and cry and smile at the same time, if this special man meant something to you as a child, listen to him once again and you will gain more than you can imagine.  Then, just for kicks, search for "Mister Rogers Remix," and your inner child and highest voice will laugh once again.