I recently watched the Mr. Roger’s documentary Won’t You Be My Neighbor and the biopic, A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood, back to back. It was long overdue and the kind of wholesome content I need right now. Since then, I have been reflecting on his messages a lot. It’s inspiring how timeless they are and how they speak to children and adults. In the end, it’s all about spreading love and kindness, something so simple but easy to overlook and forget, especially in a world where most of us are overwhelmed by obstacles and challenges.

I will be honest, sometimes I find it hard to be positive, and there is nothing wrong with that. When I am, it’s usually in reaction to someone else being overwhelmingly negative and it’s killing my vibe. I do want to be more proactively positive and spread words of affirmation more freely; I can still be my cynical self, but, I can try to let others know how truly grateful I am. You never know who needed to hear those words the moment you said them. Here are some phrases I hope to use more often.

I love you

Thank you for all that you do

I appreciate you

You inspire me

You have so many gifts to share

I am grateful for you

I appreciate your friendship

Thank you for all of your hard work

I am glad you’re here

Don’t change