To Feel Safe and Wanted

Tom Junod’s profile of Mister Rogers defines the powerful effect of simplicity. His piece was not in the same day-in-the-life-of format like Susan Orleans, rather, he sought to capture Mister Rogers’ essence, and its effect on Junod’s own childhood, and other Americans’ childhoods, and he did it beautifully. His writing style is simple and repetitive, echoing the format of Rogers’ own show and lifestyle. Junod’s piece is dreamy, like a child’s mind and Rogers’ own heart. Mister Rogers’ soul is one that never ages or yields for any obstacle, and his genuine simplicity is remarkably calming and powerful. As a little girl, I vividly remember watching Mister Rogers’ gently open his door and musically welcome me into his neighborhood, and this made me feel so safe and wanted. Junod’s soft, refreshing tone exquisitely encapsulates this feeling of comfort and safety that children and adults long for and that Rogers graciously offered to everyone around him.