Please Won't You Be My Neighbor?

My english teacher, years ago, told me a person should be able to recite three meaningful quotes at any given moment. I don't know why this would ever be essential for one's survival in society. Perhaps as a way of establishing ethos. Perhaps just to sound like a snob. However, I happen to love quotes, and I have a tendency to mindlessly listen to my teachers. Unfortunately, I only have two meaningful quotes to share at this point in my life, but they are lengthy so we can just chalk it up to three.

The first quote I have to share is the classic, "I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately..." by Thoreau. I could finish it for you, but, surprisingly, leaves are not the focus of this blog post.

The second string of beautiful words is less eloquent and more obscure. They were said by the man who taught me the importance of coexisting, of empathy, of imagination, and of a comfortable sweater. The best neighbor on the street: Mr. Fred Rogers, everybody. Give it up.

After a long morning as a second grader, I would home home from school, put my feet up, enjoy a decadent meal of Spaghetti-O's, and enjoy a thirty minute trip to Mr. Roger's Neighborhood; it was always beautiful there.

My good friend Fred passed away eight years ago from stomach cancer; it was a sad day in third grade. Years after his death, I purchased a book of his various sayings and beliefs published in his memory. On the back cover, it reads, "If you could only sense how important you are in the lives of those you meet; how important you can be to the people you never even dream of. There is something of yourself that you leave at every meeting with another person."

Though simply stated, this quote is undeniably true.

Sometimes, I find myself feeling insignificant. I feel as if it is impossible to make a difference in this big world; it is a place filled with so many- billions, in fact. How could I possibly be different? How could I possibly be unique? But, I am over-thinking it. Like Mr. Rogers simply said it is not the world we can impact so easily but, rather, the people who fill our lives. If I take a second to look at my day, I can see people who smiled at my jokes, who told me their problems while I listened, who needed help with homework or a hug. Perhaps without realizing it, I made a difference.

We do it everyday. We make change. We establish our importance in the world- whether we can sense it or not.