I had the opportunity to watch the Fred Rogers documentary “Will You Be My Neighbor?” on the plane on my way to Lima. I was so struck by the movie that I am still thinking about it 1 full week later. I think what Fred did, to a massive audience, was publicly and actively care. He demonstrated what caring looks like on the screen. He demonstrated vulnerability. He took risks. He was quiet. He took his time. He made ratty- looking puppets and used them to express his own vulnerabilities. He created safe spaces. On public television. As Fred said, “ The space between the television and whoever happens to receive it, I consider that to be very holy ground.”

I think he demonstrated, by shining example, what these behaviors actually look like. Here, he shows, is what it looks like to listen. This is what consistency feels like as I feed these fish to a quiet room. This is what love does when it does not know every answer. This is how hard questions are asked. Note: He was demonstrating with puppets. This is how you show up day after day for people you love. I am so massively grateful for Fred Roger´s example. I felt my own child self listening to him while sitting on the plane, and I was comforted by him after all these years.

I wrote down a line Fred mentioned in the movie: Sometimes we need to struggle with tragedy to feel the gravity of love.”