you can’t help, but start to sing that song when you hear it.

then the image follows of Mr. Rogers carefully undoing his shoe laces, taking off his shoes and gracefully throwing them into his opposite hand.

when i was little, i used to act that out every time i sat down to put on or take off my shoes.

actually, i still do. (okay, maybe just in my head)

now, i hadn’t planned on this post being about Mr. Rogers. I just really liked the catchy phrase from his song and thought it would be a fun title.

i had planned on talking about the wonderful neighborhood that surrounds our home and all of the beautiful houses i like to admire with white picket fences.

but see, while i was singing that song my curiousity about Mr. Rogers grew.

So, i decided to google him. have you every googled him? Oh.My.Word. what a man!

did you know that Mr. Rogers was so well liked by the public that when his Impala was stolen outside of his tv studio and he later reported it, the thieves returned his car. in the exact spot it was stolen. with an apology note.

the note said, “if we’d known it was yours, we would have never taken it.”

holy moly. that’s impressive.

i also learned that Mr. Rogers was a very tolerant man. He loved everybody.

It didn’t matter if you lived in a

yellow house,

a pink house,

or even a house with bright colors.

he would always say to them, “God loves you just the way you are.”

he truly sounded like the most perfect neighbor. how cool would that be. to have Mr. Rogers as a neighbor? i wonder what kind of house he would live in.

would it be big?

would it have a wrap around porch?

or look like a saloon?

or maybe he would have a house that looked like it was built for a hobbit?

one thing is for sure. it wouldn’t be the color blue. i guess he was color blind.

he was also a perfectionist. i bet his yard would be the best on the block.

apparently, he was so well disciplined he remained 143 pounds for 30 years. which was convenient because he loved the number 143. why? because according to Mr. Rogers the number 143 means ‘i love you.’ 1 letter to say i, 4 letters to say love, and 3 letters to say you.

how precious is that.

he seemed a very humble man. i bet his home would be cute and practical.

whatever it would be, i know one thing is for sure….. it would be a beautiful day in the neighborhood.

oh, Mr. Rogers, won’t you be my neighbor?