We Need More Mister Rogers

A week ago, I was composing an email at work when an administer walked by and said something like, “I see you’re wearing a cardigan for Mister Rogers’ Day.” I responded with what was probably a confused stare and said, “Sorry?” At which point she explained that November 13^th was Mister Rogers’ Cardigan Day. Who knew? Clearly, the administrator didn’t realize that I wear cardigans pretty much every day at this time of year.

When I got home from work, I did a Google search and, sure enough, according to goodfoodpittsburgh.com, November 13^th was Mister Rogers’ Cardigan Day, which encourages people to express kindness by wearing a cardigan in honor of Fred Rogers You can find the short article HERE.

I have to tell you that Fred Rogers is one of my heroes. I watched him a lot with my kids when they were little. The more I watched, the more I appreciated how unique and wonderful he truly was.

Movie trailers about him have been popping up on TV, so I’ve been thinking about Mister Rogers more than usual lately. I’m intrigued that Tom Hanks is portraying him. Based on a New York times article, (you can find it HERE) he’s a terrific choice because he too appears to be a genuinely nice guy.

If there’s one thing this planet needs right now, it’s more Fred Rogers and genuinely kind people…role models that children and adults, for that matter, can look up to and emulate. People with his gentleness and integrity seem in short supply right now, but there’s nothing stopping any of us from following those values and committing acts of kindness wherever we go.

As a writer, I’m thinking why not create an unassuming hero with integrity, gentleness, and kindness? Maybe he, or she, won’t be the feisty, kick-ass, super-human individual so prevalent in novels and movies today. Maybe this hero will have Fred Rogers qualities, but with one or two other unique aspects…and so a new writing idea begins.