We live in a world in which we need to share responsibility. It’s easy to say, ‘It’s not my child, not my community, not my world, not my problem.’ Then there are those who see the need and respond. I consider those people my
Fred Rogers
heroes.
When I was a small child, I couldn’t wait to watch my shows in the afternoon — “Mr. Rogers’ Neighborhood,” “Sesame Street” and “The Electric Company.” Years later, my mother said she didn’t understand the appeal of Mr. Rogers. She found him boring. Oh, but I loved him. I loved his soothing voice and calm demeanor. I loved the tidy way he would put away his work clothes and slip into a cardigan and tennis shoes. I loved the repetition of the songs and the way he sang, “It’s you I like/Every part of you.” I especially loved the neighborhood of make believe. What would that silly Lady Elaine get up to today?
A few years ago, Fred Rogers had a cultural revival of sorts. I watched the documentary, “Won’t You Be My Neighbor?” in a movie theater and realized how much his quiet example influenced my life and the lives of others.
When tragedy strikes, people often repeat his words to find a bit of light in a dark situation: “‘When I was a boy and I would see scary things in the news, my mother would say to me, ‘Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping.’” I’m not sure the second half of the quote is repeated as often, but it resonates with me even more: “To this day, especially in times of ‘disaster,’ I remember my mother’s words and I am always comforted by realizing that there are still so many helpers — so many caring people in this world.”
Julie A. Palm’s article, “Doing Good, Together,” reminds me of one of the many reasons I love the sleep products industry. Every time I get a news release that highlights a donation to people in need or support of an industry event designed to raise funds for critical needs such as cancer research or autism support, my heart lifts. Yes, this world can be a hard place, but so many kind, generous people exist. I’d like to think there are more helpers than we even realize.
So, to celebrate the good that our industry does, I’ll leave you with another Fred Rogers quote: “If you could only sense how important you are to the lives of those you meet; how important you can be to the people you may never even dream of. There is something of yourself that you leave at every meeting with another person.”
Keep going.
