Happy 143 Day!

Because we can all use a little kindness.

Hello, hungry people.

It’s time Congress made room on the calendar for another national holiday: 143 Day.

It would be celebrated annually on May 23 — today! — the 143rd day of the year.

It would be dedicated to a commodity that seems to be in short supply, one that our country could use a whole more of — kindness.

And it would memorialize the man who originally came up with the idea.

This guy.

For Fred Rogers, 143 was code for “I love you.”

The one-letter word “I,” four letters for “love” and three for “you.”

Yes, it’s corny and sappy. But given the choice, I think most of us would pick corny and sappy over cynical and mean-spirited any day.

In Pennsylvania, where Mister Rogers was born, May 23 is already officially recognized as 143 Day. And as befits the man who was its inspiration, the observance is humble and low key.

“With everything going on in the world, it’s no surprise that we are all feeling a little weary and overwhelmed,” the 143 Day website reads.

It suggests hitting the pause button today and taking time to to do something nice for someone else. The possibilities are endless. I couldn’t even begin to make suggestions. It’s one of those random-act-of-kindness things.

You’ll know what to do when the moment is upon you.

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Interesing factoid:

Mr. Rogers was so dedicated to the symbolism of 143 that he kept his body weight at 143 pounds.

OK, that might be a tad extreme. But there you have it.

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Mister Rogers is something of an institution where I live. He graduated from Rollins College, just a few blocks down the street here in Winter Park. The college even has a “Mr. Rogers Walking Tour.” Among the highlights:

The Olin Library has a collection of Mr. Rogers’s letters, along with a sweater knitted by his mother and worn on the TV show, and a pair of his trademark sneakers.

There’s a memorial stone from his hometown of Latrobe, PA.

This plaque on the wall near Strong Hall was installed long before Mr. Rogers attended Rollins, but it inspired him and he carried a photo of it in his wallet until his death in 2003.

And there’s this wonderful sculpture by the British artist Paul Day.

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So how about a National 143 Day?

Back in 2020, during the pandemic, Time magazine ran an editorial proposing that Congress official recognize May 23 as a holiday in which Americans simply took tiime out to do nice things for each other. It never got much traction. But maybe now the time is right.

Of course, Congress being Congress, and America being America, it’s hard to imagine that any such proposal wouldn’t get politicized.

Still, I’m just corny and sappy enough to think it’s worth a shot.

Just planting a seed here. And hoping it grows.