In this episode of the "Welcome To The Neighborhood" tribute podcast, host Rick Lee James steps back from his usual commentary to let Fred Rogers speak directly to listeners through a curated series of archival audio clips. The episode opens with a warm invitation to all listeners, emphasizing inclusivity and the spirit of welcome that Rogers embodied. The core of the show consists of Rogers discussing a range of everyday emotional experiences: how to handle anger and the importance of acknowledging and apologizing for misplaced frustration; coping with grief through the personal story of his beloved dog Mitzi; expressing love using the "1‑4‑3" code inspired by a lighthouse; recognizing and describing everyday sounds; and a heartfelt recounting of a Special Olympics 100‑yard dash that illustrates empathy, teamwork, and the value of helping others succeed. Rogers also shares philosophical reflections on humanity’s place in the universe, the interconnectedness of all people, and a repeated affirmation that "it's you I like," underscoring unconditional acceptance. The episode concludes with the host thanking the community, providing music credits, and encouraging listeners to appreciate their unique selves. Throughout, the tone remains gentle, reflective, and supportive, offering listeners moments of calm, wisdom, and encouragement during challenging times.
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Welcome to The Neighborhood, a Mr. Rogers tribute podcast. I'm your host, Rick Lee James, of rickleejames.com, and I run the Mr. Rogers Quotes Twitter account found @MrRogersSay. As we walk again into this podcast neighborhood, I want you to know that no matter where you are from, You are welcome here. I'm glad to be your neighbor, no matter who you are. Every daughter, every son, every tribe, every tongue. In the spirit of Fred Rogers and the life of welcome that he lived, welcome to this neighborhood. Well, today I'm going to be doing something I've wanted to do for a while. As you know, because you're listening to this episode and you've seen the episode title, This is a tribute podcast to Fred Rogers, and on some of the shows we have guests. On some of the shows we have my co-host David Dalt, and we have almost a documentary-style look at the life of Fred Rogers. But today I just wanted to maybe let Fred speak for himself. I wanted to just grab a few audio clips of Mr. Rogers talking to his television neighbor. He always would speak to his audience as though it was one person, a particular neighbor, because he wanted it to be very personal in that way. And I think it might do us some good to just maybe find some time, maybe a few moments of quiet in our car, or on a walk, maybe on a run, maybe just sitting in our room, And maybe it would do us some good just to hear some of the words of Fred Rogers being spoken not by me or anybody else, but just in his own voice. So I hope that today will just be something that is nourishing for you, something that you find helpful, and something that can maybe bring some calm, some peace, and some wisdom into this present moment that we are living in. I know it's difficult. We are living in difficult days for sure, but I don't think we are living in hopeless days. And if we can do anything at all, maybe with this episode, maybe the tribute part of this episode is just that we could give a few moments to hear Fred in his own words and allow him to speak into our moment right now through times in the past when he spoke. I think there's a lot of wisdom that he has to share that is still so relevant to us in our day and time. So I hope you enjoy this episode today. Here are some words by our dear neighbor Fred Rogers.
So many people have asked me, do you ever get mad? And of course I answer, well, yes, everyone gets mad sometimes. The important thing is what we do with the mad that we feel in life. A few weeks ago, on my way home from a particularly tough day at work, I stopped to see my two grandsons. Their mom and dad weren't there, but the boys were there with the babysitter in the backyard, squirting water with hoses. I could see that they were really having fun, but I felt I needed to let them know that I didn't want to be squirted. So I told them so. And little by little, I could feel that the older boy, Alexander, was testing the limit until finally his hose was squirting very close to where I was standing. I said to him in my harshest voice, "Okay, that's it, Alexander. Turn off the water. You've had it." He did as I told him, said he was sorry. And looked very sad. The more I thought about it, the sadder I got. I realized that Alexander had not squirted me and that I had stepped into his and his brother's play with a lot of feelings left over from work. So when I got home, I just called Alexander on the phone. I told him I felt awful about my visit with him, and the more I thought about it, the more I realized that I was taking out my anger from work on him. I told him I was really sorry. Do you know how he answered me? He said, "Oh, Bubba." He calls me Bubba. "Oh, Bubba, everybody makes mistakes sometimes." I nearly cried. I was so touched by his naturally generous heart. And I realized that if I hadn't called him, I might not have ever received that wonderful gift of Alexander's sweet forgiveness.
What do you do when you're angry?
What do you do with the mad that you feel?
When you feel so mad you feel like biting? When the whole wide world seems oh so wrong and nothing you do seems very right, what do you do? Do you punch a bag? Do you pound some clay or some dough? Do you round up friends for a game of tag or see how fast you go? It's great to be able to stop when you've planned a thing that's wrong and be able to do something else instead. And think this song: I can stop when I want to, can stop when I wish, can stop, stop, stop anytime. And what a good feeling to feel like this. And know that the feeling is really mine. Know that there's something deep inside that helps us become what we can. For a girl can be someday a lady, and a boy can be someday a man. And you know that's true, don't you?
When I was very young, I had a dog that I loved very much. Her name was Mitzi.
Mhm.
And she got to be old and she died. And I was very sad when she died because she and I were good We were good pals.
Mm-hmm.
And when she died, I cried. My grandmother heard me crying, I remember, and she came and she just put her arm around me because she knew I was sad. She knew how much I loved that dog. And my dad said we'd have to bury Mitzi, and I didn't want to. I didn't want to bury her because I thought I'd just pretend that she was still alive. But my dad said They said that her body was dead and we'd have to bury her. So we did. I remember after my dog Mitzi died, my aunt and uncle gave me a toy dog like this that I used to play with. I used to make it go like this. Then make it pop up again like that. Pretending. Even now I can still remember Mitzi's prickly fur and her curly tail. She had a tail that went around like that. Would you like to see a picture of her? I think I have one in the drawer here. There she is, my dog Mitzi. I really missed her when she died. Sometimes people get sad and they really do feel bad, but the very same people who are Who are sad sometimes are the very same people who are glad sometimes. It's funny, but it's true. It's the same, isn't it, for me? Isn't it the same for you?
You.
There are many ways to say I love you. There are many ways to say I care about you. Many ways, many ways, many ways to say I love you. There's the 1-4-3 way to say I love you. There's the 1-4-3 way to say I care about you. 1-4-3, 1-4-3, 1-4-3 to say I love you. Cleaning up a room can say I love you. Hanging up a coat before you're asked to do it. Drawing special pictures for the holidays and making plays. You'll find many ways to say I love you. You'll find many ways to understand what love is. Many ways. Many ways, many ways to say I love you.
You know, there's a lighthouse south of the Boston Harbor called Minot's Ledge Light. As it flashes, it flashes one time, then four times, then three times. So it's always flashing its light 1-4-3.
I love you.
1-4-3.
This is a kind of code that we've just found out about. 1 is I. Mm-hmm. 4, L-O-V-E. Mm-hmm. 3, Y-O-U.
I love you.
A code.
Well, I think I'll take this I'll take this home and give it to Betsy.
It's all yours.
It's my delivery to Betsy today. A delivery to you and a delivery to Betsy. Well, speedy delivery. See you around the neighborhood.
Thank you again.
143.
143, Mr. McFeely.
Thank you.
We've had lots of good visits today, haven't we?
What's that sound? The sound of an airplane. I can hear it, but I can't see it. Where do you suppose the plane may be going? If you live in a city, you may be able to hear a bus coming along the street or a car blowing its horn in the distance.
Meow.
What does that sound like?
Meow.
A cat meowing?
Meow.
And what about that?
Woof, woof, woof.
That's a dog barking, isn't it?
Woof, woof.
Some animals are awake at night, and so they sleep a lot in the daytime. When a fire engine passes and its siren makes a loud noise, that could be scary. If there are trees near where you live, you might be able to hear the sound of the wind in the trees. In the country, in some places in the city, You might even hear this sound: crickets. But after a while, as we start to fall asleep, none of the sounds are very clear—not the buses or the horns or the wind or the cats or the dogs. Or even the footsteps in the house. And at last, when we are asleep, we might dream our own dreams.
Our world hangs like a magnificent jewel in the vastness of space. Every one of us is a part of it. Part of that jewel, a facet of that jewel. And in the perspective of infinity, our differences are infinitesimal. We are intimately related. May we never even pretend that we are not. Have you heard my favorite story that came from the Seattle Special Olympics? Well, for the 100-yard dash, there were 9 contestants, all of them so-called physically or mentally disabled. All 9 of them assembled at the starting line, and at the sound of the gun, they took off. But not long afterward, one little boy stumbled and fell and hurt his knee and began to cry. The other 8 children heard him crying. They slowed down, turned around, and ran back to him. Every one of them ran back to him. One little girl with Down syndrome bent down and kissed the boy and said, "This'll make it better." The little boy got up and he and the rest of the runners linked their arms together and joyfully walked to the finish line. They all finished. Finished the race at the same time. And when they did, everyone in that stadium stood up and clapped and whistled and cheered for a long, long time. People who were there are still telling the story with great delight. And you know why? Because deep down, we know that what matters in this life is more than winning for ourselves. What really matters is helping others win too, even if it means slowing down and changing our course now and then. Anyone who has ever been able to sustain a good work has had at least one person, and often many, who have believed in him or her. We just don't get to be competent human beings without a lot of different investments from others. I'd like to give you all an invisible gift, a gift of a silent a minute to think about those who have helped you become who you are today. Some of them may be here right now. Some may be far away. Some, like my astronomy professor, may even be in heaven. But wherever they are, if they've loved you encouraged you and wanted what was best in life for you. They're right inside yourself, and I feel that you deserve quiet time on this special occasion to devote some thought to them. So let's just take a minute in honor of those who have cared about us all along the way. One silent minute. Whomever you've been thinking about, imagine how grateful they must be that during your silent times you remember how important they are to you. It's you I like. It's not the things you wear. It's not the way you do your hair. But it's you I like. The way you are right now. The way down deep inside you. Not the things that hide you, not your caps and gowns, they're just beside you. But it's you I like, every part of you, your skin, your eyes, your feelings, whether old or new. I hope that you remember, even when you're feeling blue, that it's you I like. It's you yourself. It's you. It's you I like. When I say it's you I like, I'm talking about that part of you that knows that life is far more than anything you can ever see or hear or touch, that deep part of you that allows you to stand for those things without which humankind cannot survive: love that conquers hate, peace that rises triumphant over war, and justice that proves more powerful than greed.
Thank you for joining me here this week in the neighborhood. Music featured on the podcast is Nouvelle Noël by Kevin MacLeod. I want to thank the @MrRogersSay community on Twitter for always being there and just being such an encouragement every day. You add a lot to my life and I so I still appreciate you. I'm your host, Rick Lee James. My Twitter account, my personal Twitter account, is @RickLeeJames. My personal website is rickleejames.com. I do have another podcast if you're interested. It's called Voices in My Head: The Rick Lee James Podcast. And I look forward to being with you again next time. But until we meet again, remember, you make each day a special day. You know how? By just your being you. There's only one person in this whole world like you, and people can like you exactly as you are.
Hey friends, this is Rick Lee James. I am so glad that you are listening to this podcast today, and I want to ask a favor of you. You know, this podcast is free, and it's always going to be free, but we do have a lot of costs around here. Not only making podcasts, but making new music, paying for production costs, website fees, hosting fees, doing research, marketing materials, and so much more. And you can help us with that if you visit patreon.com/rickleejames, where for as little as $1 a month, or even a one-time donation, you can help me to continue doing the work that I'm doing. It would mean so much and it takes such a very little amount of your time, so if you have a chance, go to patreon.com/RickLeeJames and thank you in advance for any help that you can give.
