The other day I was looking for something to watch that would not demand my focused attention. I often like to have something to listen to while sitting at my craft station. I randomly selected A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood, the movie about Mr. Fred Rogers.
As often happens in a book or movie, some phrase can be said that makes me stop and re-read or rewind, giving me another chance to let it settle into my thoughts and mind.
This movie was no exception. It’s a story based upon an article in Esquire Magazine about American Heroes. Mr. Rogers was selected and the movie is about the man who interviewed him and how meeting him and writing the article changed the writer. What’s not shared is how the two then developed a lasting friendship until Fred Rogers passed away in 2003.
In the movie, Mr. Rogers mentions the subject of death and how often we avoid talking about it. He said death is human and “anything human is mentionable – and anything mentionable is manageable.” That was my rewind…twice.
Hearing that really resonated with me. Perhaps because I’ve had some experience with things being left unsaid that need saying.
Humans often tend to feel like they are the only ones experiencing something, which may lead to silence. The more we are afraid to speak about some things, those things can get bigger in our minds and sometimes scarier to talk about. Once I can speak about it, its power over me, and my fear, almost always lessen.
I think and hope we can get better at this. We all need a safe person and a safe place to share our fears and scary thoughts. Once we can speak about them, we can begin to deal with and manage them.
Thus, my M&M title. I think every time I eat an M&M, I will think of this.
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