Sometimes I wish Mr. Rogers was still on tv in the mornings-- or maybe it is, I haven't really checked. I need to hear his soothing voice singing 'It's a Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood' while putting on his cardigan and sneakers. Such a sane, normal, habitual existence-- so reliable and comforting and calm; neat and predictable.
Sometimes I consider buying all the dvds for the movies my children watched endlessly, so that I can just put them on as background. Mary Poppins, the Little Mermaid, Annie, Peter Pan and many others... they were the constants even with frequent moves.
The problem with being Of a Certain Age is that you do, indeed, get wiser-- or at least you can see with more clarity where you went wrong along the way. Unfortunately, you are not yet old enough to be Listened To by the younger set when you tell them what will happen, hoping to help them avoid the same mistakes. I think you have to be 65 or older before that happens.
So what we are, we People of A Certain Age, is in the middle. We can no longer be young and naive, yet we are not old and wise. We are looked upon as dorks by the younger set and fledglings by the older. I have a lot of experience being in the middle, as a middle child. I was pretty much silent. I'm looking forward to being old and wise.
I slept.
Posted by Sheila at September 27, 2005 09:24 AM Posted to Introspection | TrackBackMister Rogers is on KCTS at 11:30 everyday.
Posted by: Julianne on September 27, 2005 10:20 AMSheila, when I was a very little girl (early '70s) I adored Mr. Rogers. I would carry around my Mr. Rogers album cover with me everywhere. Certain family members still tease me about that! The week he died, I would find myself teary-eyed every time they showed his face on TV or played a clip from one of his songs on the radio. I tried to explain it to my husband, who grew up in another country, and I just couldn't put it into words, what he represented. (Innocence? Safety? Unconditional love/acceptance?...)
Posted by: Beth S. on September 27, 2005 10:38 AMJulianne-- thanks. I will tune in tomorrow. Perhaps King Friday will issue some decree that will make sense :-)
Beth, I think you've hit the nail on the head. Unconditional love and acceptance. I've only met one person in my life who was capable of that, imo, and that was my ex-mother-in-law. At least it proves that it exists, but it is certainly very rare. She has always been a role model for me, but I fear (though I will keep on trying) that I will never achieve her example.
I watched Mr Rogers for the first time ever when I went to Canada for six months to be nanny to my cousin. I loved him and have to admit when I heard he had died I cried.
I also cried when Jim Henson died... it was hard to imagine that the man who brought us Kermit was gone.
Posted by: noonie on September 28, 2005 12:48 AM