Tom Hank's Mr Rogers
Childhood images of a slow-moving man in a sweater flit through your mind. He talks about feelings, how important you are and how special you are. If you take a couple of hours in the afternoon on a snowy, cold day, you may find ways to love people while maintaining your integrity. You don’t need to conform to other people’s plans for you or someone else’s idea of a good life. Be prepared to have your heart touched.
Something about being in relationships and acknowledging emotions, particularly for women, seems to bring up the issue of compromising your life away vs. being demanding. In A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood, Mr. Rogers remains true to his mission to teach children about managing their emotions in a healthy way and at the same time gets at the root of restoring adult relationships that seem beyond repair.
Surprisingly we learn, and Brene Brown would agree, vulnerability brings intimacy and personal growth. You will want to dig up your worn-out stuffed “old rabbit,” especially if you are feeling insecure. Vulnerability tends to remove those walls that you feel you need to protect yourself.
If you would like two hours of therapy, a fabulous coaching session on good counseling and also being a caretaker for someone that sends you into an emotional tailspin - see this movie. You will learn about what complete acceptance looks like and how anger and disagreement are still part of the picture. There are good ways of expressing emotions without causing collateral damage. Among other things, just simple eye contact that lasts for more than 10 seconds will startle you by how unnerving it can be. It is so meaningful to be seen.
At one point in a local NYC restaurant, the investigative reporter again has the interview turned on him. Fred Rogers suggests that they reflect on the people that loved them into existence. There is a theatrical freeze at all the tables. After a minute of silence, Mr. Rogers smiles and then everyone starts eating. This is a reminder to all those with less than a perfect parent and childhood; even if your parents many times didn’t act as if they loved you, love created and formed you via many different ways.
Another moment is when Mr. Rogers points out Vogel’s strength - his commitment to social justice. He said that Vogel is the man he is today because of who his father was and is. Considering that his father abandoned his mother and siblings while his mother was dying; Vogel has reason to pause. The effect is profound and disturbing.
If you have good reason to hold a grudge and cut someone out of your life; then make an effort to see this movie. It will restore your faith in the power of true love (God’s agape love) - believing the best of other people and loving even when doing so is dealing with painful memories. Perhaps you will start seeing frail, imperfect people who are trying to reconcile with you as a gateway to God.
