A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood…

There was always something quite comforting about Mister Rogers. His calm demeanor, his ability to expand the inquisitiveness of children, and his understanding of children’s fears of their unknown world was a comfort to many who watched his show over the 30 years of production. I remember the summer mornings watching Mister Rogers with my young niece. The world slowed down when we entered his neighborhood. We took the time to explore new places with Mister Rogers and had the chance to meet his neighbors. And when his show was over for the day, we continued to talk about our experiences with Mister Rogers. That life lesson has not been forgotten.

Often when we start our journeys, we are moving quickly to prepare the RV, set up the boat, or get to the next destination. Take a lesson from Mister Rogers and slow down. Approach the journey with a calmness that will allow you to truly experience the events around you. There will be unknowns, but approach them as learning experiences. Be inquisitive about your surroundings and your neighbors. Your journey influences those around you and you in turn become a part of their journeys. Make the most of it and be a good neighbor. When it comes to the people around you; learn from them, give them guidance where you can, and most of all enjoy their presence.

Our next experience in Stevie will be in one more week. We plan to join up with a group that has been camping monthly in various spots around Indiana and Illinois for quite a few years. I bring up the link to Mister Rogers because I have to be reminded about his lessons. Being around new people is always difficult. The introvert in us is struggling to take hold while we have to push ourselves to be outgoing. Journeys involve being pushed outside of the comfort zone from time to time and this next event will certainly do that for us.

We’ll keep you informed of how things go with the next trip. Also, some updates on Stevie repairs coming next week.

Notes: A great article on Mister Rogers is available here. Perhaps we can still learn something new from him today. Also, a new stamp comes out from the USPS this month.