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n this neighborhood, we don’t often get to choose who our neighbors are, what they say, or what they choose to be. They may wear different clothes, act a different way, live a different lifestyle, but no matter what – while we’re here in Sullivan County and in this world in general; we are neighbors. So, as the great and late Fred Rogers once said,                                                                                  “Oh, won’t you be my neighbor?”

Fred McFeely Rogers was born March 20, 1928 in Latrobe, Pennsylvania, and eventually rose to a revered stardom as the not-so-fictional character, Mister Rogers. After a lifetime of preaching and practicing kindness, he passed away on February 27, 2003 at the age of 74 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

Fred Rogers made sure to hear the voices, worries, opinions, and needs of every child he came across, both on television in his hit show “Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood” (1968-2001) and in his real life. We all could do our best in trying to live in the lifestyle defined by one word – “kindness.”

Today, March 31, is International Transgender Visibility Day. Our neighborhood is made better and more honest by those who live in the truth of themselves. People you know around the block may be dealing with issues unseen, and are experiencing struggles others may not understand. Mister Rogers’ example of remaining kind, especially to those you do not fully understand, is pivotal in making a better, more friendlier neighborhood.

The gender-binary is a strange concept, but all in all, no matter what someone chooses to identify as, they are our neighbor through and through.

Our “neighborhood” of Sullivan County is large and diverse; a fantastic blend of people who enjoy life in the Catskills for whatever reason there may be. The fresh air, the open spaces, friends and family, historic landmarks…all of these things are a major draw for a large amount of people. A great social sucess at times.

As Mister Rogers famously said, “There are three ways to ultimate success: the first way is to be kind. The second way is to be kind. The third way is to be kind.”