Just the way you are.

Today,

I ended up watching

two full episodes

of Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood

while trying to figure out

how to do

my stats homework.

I learned

how construction paper is made

and I watched a guy

play the saw like a cello,

and I heard how the first day of school

isn't as scary as you think.

It was compelling.

It was compelling

because it was soothing.

Like playing with

the grandpa I never had,

while he points out

things about the world

that I haven't learned yet.

Here's the thing.

He looks at you

and says,

"You're learning.

You're growing every day.

I care about your learning.

I do.

I'm one of the adults

in your life

who cares about your learning

because I like you

just the way you are."

We should all

say that to people.

We should all

sit across the table

from people

who value us,

who are happy to listen to us,

who don't act like we're weird

when we show

the broken parts of ourselves,

whose eyes sometimes get big

when we say something,

but only because

they're waiting to know more.

I'm just glad

he did that

and he put it on television

so all children

could hear it.

So I can keep hearing it

no matter how old

I get.