Won't you be my neighbor?
a eulogy
Mr. Rogers is dead.

There will be no more sweaters, no more soothing songs, no more trolley. At seventy-four, he was taken by stomach cancer. (Does everyone these days die of some form of cancer?) I feel a little shocked. He was a cultural icon.

As a kid, I didn't really watch his show-- I made fun of it. We compared Mr. Rogers to Barney the Dinosaur and used the act of watching his show as an insult. And I always felt horrible for it. Who CAN'T love Mr. Rogers? He was such a kind, gentle, sympathetic man who never offered anything but the best advice to children.

Granted, by the time he retired from his show in 2000, Mr. Rogers was more than a little dated. His soft, slow kiddie-speak had been replaced by a hipper, speedier, more graphics-intensive "tough love" approach. His puppet shows were a bit creepy. We made jokes about him being our neighbor. But that doesn't make me any less sad that he's dead.

Good-by Mr. Rogers. I hope it's a beautiful day in your neighborhood.