Tag Archives: Mr Rogers

Getting A Little Hippie Dippie

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My last post here was a week ago.

I try to share something most days as this is a daily writing/thinking exercise for me. Unfortunately, this hasn’t been possible lately.

We have reached my busy season at work. I’m also in the throes of a busy volunteer life. At home, I’m trying to decorate for Easter, organize my messy craft room, reorganize my books, overcome some health issues and reinvent my life so I can be the best that I can be – all while hobbling along with a bum leg.

It’s going about as well as you might imagine.

I’m physically and mentally tired. I’m overwhelmed by possibility and underwhelmed by my own management of anything more than my bedtime routine.

If only there were a few more hours in the day. The good news is the really bad part will last only another month. The bad news is there’s another month to go.

So back on track, I half heartedly try to go. But honestly, friends, if the choice is between writing and sleeping, I’m probably going to choose the sleep.

I’m sure y’all will overcome the disappointment somehow! Ha!

In case I drop off the map again and I’m not around to remind you to think positive, here’s your assignment. In this ever darkening world, what’s one small thing you can do to make it a brighter place?

It doesn’t have to be expensive or taxing in any way. Chat up your cashier at Aldi, pay a compliment to a stranger, or grab a loose cart so it doesn’t bang into someone’s car. Take donuts to a friend. Offer to babysit your sister’s kids so she can get a haircut in peace.

Maybe you want to take this assignment to the next level and help with a letter writing campaign to your member of Congress, plant a field with sunflowers (those are some happy flowers), or join your town’s beautification effort. Those pretty flowers on Main Street don’t plant and water themselves and could benefit from your green thumb. Tutor a child in a subject you know well or become their Big Brother or Big Sister if you have that program in your area.

My philosophy has long been that when I go to bed at night I should be leaving the world in the same or better condition than I found it in that morning. I’m failing miserably so I need everyone else to try a little harder while I get it together.

Think of the people of your youth who inspired you. What would Woody Guthrie, Steve Irwin, John Lennon or our beloved Mr Rogers have to say?

Woody spent a lifetime standing up against fascists, advocating for workers’ rights, and reminding us that “this land was made for you and me.”

“The Crocodile Hunter” told us that “if we save our wild places, we will ultimately save ourselves.” What would we do without the amazing wild places across the is nation of ours?

The kind and gentle soul we all knew as Mr. Roger’s taught children on television for 33 years to look for the helpers, that we are all special, and that our differences make us better. “It’s the people who feel strong and good about themselves who are best able to accept outside difference—their own and others,” he said.

Maybe we all just need better self esteem and more self respect and we would treat our planet and the people who inhabit it more kindly.

I can tell you that volunteering is a great way to put things into perspective and to understand who your true community leaders are. After a lifetime of being an active community volunteer I can tell you the politicians are rarely the real leaders. In fact, it’s usually what the state and national politicians muck up that the rest of us are trying to fix.

The true leaders are the young professionals, the retirees, and the individuals who have an interest in seeing something be better. Never underestimate the grandmotherly church lady with a freezer full of homemade pies. Those ladies will be in charge if the world ever ends.

Remember, there are plenty of ways to brighten someone else’s day and yours as well. Visit a neighbor or buy yourself a little gift from a small business. That business owner will do a happy dance at your purchase. Visiting a national park is almost a revolutionary act these days. Go take a long hike and do not skip the gift shop!

Find a way, enormous or minuscule every day to make the world just a little better. If we all did one small thing, imagine the difference we could make. I may sound a little hippie dippie but that’s fine by me.

I’ll leave you with the words of John Lennon.

You may say I’m a dreamer

But I’m not the only one

I hope someday you’ll join us

And the world will live as one

Clang, Clang, Clang Goes The Pennsylvania Trolley Museum

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I like things that go, things that move people, things that help us travel through our daily lives and can potentially take us to places far away. Planes, trains and automobiles are favorites as well as hot air balloons, ships, bicycles, stagecoaches – you get the picture.

But vehicles that take you distances that cannot be measured are my very favorite. In other words, old planes and cars can double as time machines if you allow your imagination to run wild. 

Last month, my imagination got a workout at the Pennsylvania Trolley Museum where I got to see, touch and board a large assortment of trolley cars that very easily could have met a scrapyard doom rather than a museum spotlight. 

This museum features a visitors’ center with exhibits, restrooms and classroom space as well as a preserved train depot and a large building packed with trolley cars. Visitors are invited to climb aboard, sit, dream, and to touch. Well, you’re encouraged to touch a lot of things but they prefer you keep your hands to yourself in the operator’s area! Most are restored. There was one in particular that hasn’t been restored that shows just how damaging time and deterioration can be. 

They have a small army of volunteers who keep the place running as docents, trolley drivers, restorers and more. One such gentleman was Mike, a retired teacher and former trolley operator with a flair for storytelling that made us want to pull up a chair for a long chat.

There are trolley cars with local connections and some from much further away including a streetcar named Desire. Remember the old Marlon Brando flick? Yup. This streetcar operated on New Orleans’ Desire line which was made famous by the Tennessee Williams play turned film “A Streetcar Named Desire.” 

If you’re a fan of Mr. Rogers, you can sit on the same steps of a Philadelphia streetcar where he sat when filming an episode of Mr. Rogers’ Neighborhood in the mid eighties. 

You’ll notice vintage advertising for things like cigarettes, rodeos, electric mixers and secretarial schools geared toward women. You’ll notice different decor like stained glass in some older cars and less comfortable seats in newer ones.

They tell the story of how the trolley system became obsolete thanks to the city bus, the automobile and other cultural influences. I didn’t realize that when Judy Garland sang “clang, clang, clang went the trolley” in the 1944 film “Meet Me in St. Louis” that the streetcar was already an endangered species. 

They tell the story of this mode of transit in its heyday too. Plus, you can ring a real trolley bell using a foot pedal like the trolley operators did back in the day. You’ll learn about the difference between a streetcar and a trolley and there’s great signage that tells stories about each car. 

They offer a long trolley ride and a short ride periodically throughout the day and the depot is well worth a visit too. All of this is included in the price of admission. 

My friend, whose sons are grown men now, talked about how fun it was bringing her boys when they were small because this was a museum where they could touch and not hurt things. Their curiosity was encouraged and she could breathe easy while they explored. That’s a real gift to parents of curious children. 

I’ll share some pictures on the Make the Journey Fun Facebook page and I imagine I’ll revisit some other stories from this museum in the future. Incidentally, this is where we saw the amazing Legotown and a stupendous model train exhibit that were available for viewing through the holidays.

Visit their website to learn more and to plan your trip!

A Beautiful Day

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I celebrated the completion of my Christmas shopping by catching a matinee on Saturday. For 108 minutes I sat in a nearly empty theater, lost in the world of Fred Rogers and the cynical reporter assigned to write a fluff piece about him.

Friends, you need to see this movie.

In fact, I think that everyone needs to see this movie. It’s an uplifting glimpse into how Fred Rogers treated people. He loved people and could always spare the time for a sick child or to inquire about what was upsetting to another adult.

“I like you just the way you are” is a line he used often and meant. He truly was interested in the well being of others and he believed in the power of a kind word.

Personally, I’m trying to do better at offering kind words, especially to strangers. I don’t do small talk very well but never hesitate to compliment a stranger’s accessories. It sounds silly but most women beam when you notice their scarf, cute hat or broach and it often inspires a conversation.

The bottom line is that this movie has a happy ending, something the world so desperately needs. I’m sick of political bickering. I miss the days before Facebook when I didn’t know that so many neighbors and friends are actually selfish racists and homophobes who mainly want everyone to be exactly like them.

I’m tired of being disappointed by the world. We need more Fred Rogers and less of what’s on the news every day.

Tom Hanks does a beautiful job bringing to life this man who was an icon of so many Americans childhoods. I was also pleased to see his wife, Joanne Rogers, had a quick cameo.

In short, this movie made my day and I’m excited to add it to my collection.

If you’re so cynical that you think you don’t need to see the film, you need it most of all. Go. Report back. We’ll chat about it.