The Significance of the 143rd Day of the Year, and a Reminder of How We Can Be More Intentional in Our Lives

Growing up Mister Rogers was my hero. 

So much so that I would rearrange my classes in college just so I could take my lunch hour at home to catch his show. 

True story. 

I loved Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood and his fictional kingdom, known as the Neighborhood of Make-Believe with his recurring cast of characters, such as: King Friday XIII, Lady Elaine Fairchilde, Henrietta Pussycat, X the Owl. and of course, my beloved Daniel Striped Tiger)

Of course, there were also the regulars who made a frequent appearance on the show, and shared in conversation with Mister Rogers in his living room or backyard: Mister McFeely, Lady Aberlin, and Officer Clemmons.

As a child (even as a young adult), he and his TV show were my safe space. 

I grew up in a household where my dad was abusive, especially verbally and emotionally. Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood became my refuge.

While my own home was extremely turbulent at times, I found I could escape into my television set and the magic world Mister Rogers created. 

So, I would turn on and tune into Mister Rogers’ PBS television show and tune out of the reality of life around me. 

For, Mister Rogers was kind, compassionate, patient, empathetic … all the things my own father was not. He graciously opened up his living room, the Neighborhood of Make-Believe, and his heart to all of us wayward kids.

I have always felt a strong affinity and pull to the messages he shared.

I miss him. And, I miss his light and how he showed up so genuinely in the world. I don’t think I am the only one.

I honestly believe that we have a powerful opportunity to create a new version of Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood right now at this moment in time. 

The world needs a LOT more Mister Rogers energy right now. 

Which is one of the reasons I love celebrating the 143rd day of the year. 

If you were a fan of Mister Rogers, then you know the the number 143 was profound and prolific. It was his special way and code of saying “I love you” as he created it to as a representative of number of letters in each word. 

So, each year on the 143rd day of the year (this year it falls on May 22nd. as we had 29 days in February due to the Leap Year), we are reminded to live and lead as Fred Rogers did, from a place of kindness and compassion.

To honor his legacy, we are encouraged to share acts of kindness and do good deeds as a symbol of our unity, not our separation. 

For Mister Rogers broke barriers in his day. He showed us how to break color and discrimination barriers. 

He demonstrated how to create more inclusive spaces for those with handicaps or disabilities, whether physically, emotionally, or intellectually. 

Which leads me to wonder why we need a special day anyway. 

Why does it take notation of the 143rd day to remind us to be kind to one another? Or to practice gratitude, empathy, and compassion? 

Why is it that we spend our precious energy further polarizing the world, rather than bringing it together in connection and community?

The truth is, we often get so caught up in the busyness of daily life and its myriad of distractions that we lose sight of what really matters. 

The 143rd day serves as a powerful annual reset. A chance to pause, reflect, recenter, and remember the values Mister Rogers held dear and the message that he shared with us daily: simple human kindness, empathy,. compassion, grace, and looking for the good in each other. 

That’s how we could truly honor Mister Rogers’ legacy every single day.

We all have an opportunity to lead from where we are at, with the gifts we came into this world with. 

Leadership ultimately is a choice, and it’s a function of three things: how we choose to show up, how we choose to serve others, and how we choose to take personal responsibility inside those two spaces. 

It’s everyone’s opportunity, and it starts with leading yourself. 

As we show up in the world (whether intentionally or not), we create a Living Legacy. For most people, that legacy is happening as despite them not in a way that’s algined with their greater purpose. 

You see legacy is not this thing that happens when you die and leave this earth. It’s what happens in every breath you take, in every interaction with another person, in the way you carry yourself, and in how you hold yourself in integrity when no one is looking. 

For every thought, belief, word has a consequence, Every action has an equal an opposite reaction. It’s just Physics, and the way energy works. 

The bottom line: you are either doing your Living Legacy intentionally, or your Living Legacy is doing you. 

Just take someone like Steve Jobs as an example. 

Yes, he developed some really cool technology and disrupted the marketplace. He also did so at the cost of the people closest to him. It has been documented that he was an ass to his team, his family, and his friends. Even on his deathbed, he had regrets for how he treated others. 

He may have been a genius in some aspects, yet he was incredibly foolish in others. He never learned to embody the characteristics or values that made Mister Rogers who he was. He didn’t practice kindness, compassion, empathy, and grace … and, it cost him dearly as he reflected on his life. 

Why do we wait until we are close to death to change our ways? Why aren’t we embodying those values now, collectively?

Mister Rogers 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.”

Isn’t it time we redefine what success really means.

The 143rd day then is a powerful annual reminder to live like Mister Rogers did, with overflowing kindness, compassion, and love for our neighbors. 

But this should extend far beyond just one day. I challenge each of us to take the 143rd day as inspiration for committing to “143” acts of kindness or good deeds throughout the entire year: 

• Hold the door for a stranger. 
• Pay for someone’s coffee order. 
• Call a loved one just to say you’re thinking of them. 
• Volunteer your time at a local charity. 

The options are limitless when you open your heart. 

If we all took small, intentional steps each day to make someone else’s life a little brighter, a little easier, and a little more joyful, imagine the profound impact we could have with just the smallest of gestures. 

Today and every day, choose to be one of the helpers Mister Rogers always urged us to look for in this world.

143, my friend. 

I love you. 

This world sure could use a lot more Mister Rogers, wouldn’t you agree?