By Dr. Denise Johnson
“Won’t you be my neighbor?”
These famous words by Fred Rogers, aka Mr. Rogers, have encouraged generations of Pennsylvanians to show kindness, generosity and love towards one another. That is something the world needs now more than ever, and this year, I invite you to think about how you can extend that to yourself, as well.
On Monday, May 23, the 143rd day of 2022, Pennsylvanians will have a chance to put that classic advice into practice for the fourth annual 1-4-3 Day. The tradition began in 2019 and was intended to inspire a statewide movement to honor beloved Pittsburgh-native Rogers. Best known for his role in the television series, “Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood,” Rogers continuously demonstrated compassion and kindness, and embodied what it means to be a good neighbor. Rogers used 1-4-3 as another way of saying “I love you” with the numbers representing the number of letters in each word.
The Wolf Administration is urging all Pennsylvanians and beyond to spread kindness by doing a good deed for someone in their life on 1-4-3 Day– like a neighbor, a stranger in their community, or others in need. And since research indicates that self-compassion is strongly associated with psychological wellbeing, let’s include ourselves in that while we’re at it. Your mental health is worthy of your attention, especially during challenging times.
With everything going on in the world, it’s no surprise that we all may be feeling a little weary and overwhelmed. It would be easy to become cynical in the face of war, disease and political strife. But we are all in this together, and it is in our power to commit to even just a single, simple positive gesture to work towards building a better world.
So buy yourself some flowers. Send a friend a postcard. Check in on a neighbor. We can all benefit from more acts of kindness. Let’s all do our part and help ourselves and fellow Pennsylvanians feel the love this May 23.
Find 1-4-3 Day ideas and activities through the state’s Kindness Generator at pa.gov/143-day or by following visitPA on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram using the hashtag #143PA for inspiration and to help spread the movement across the commonwealth.
Dr. Denise Johnson is Acting Secretary of Health and Physician General Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.
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