Mr. Rogers And Ravioli – Two Reasons To Celebrate Today

For most of us the fact that it is Friday is reason enough to jump out of bed and get on with the day. Just in case you're moving a little slow and need some more motivation we've got two off beat reasons for you to roll out of the rack and put your feet on the floor.

Not only is today, March 20th, the first day of Spring it is also a day to celebrate two of my most favorite childhood things, Mr. Rogers and ravioli. I have to admit as a kid back in the day I often enjoyed  both of these things at the same time.

Today is Won't You Be My Neighbor Day. Today is also Mr. Fred Rogers birthday. I have written many a story about one of the most unsung heroes my generation has ever known. Fred Rogers was a soft spoken, kind and gentle man who taught children about respect, kindness, and being happy with who they are. I often use Mr. Rogers concept of "loving limits" in dealing with my own children. Because he was soft spoken and wore sweaters Mr. Rogers was often portrayed in very mean spirited ways, he took that all in stride because he knew that to you and I, we liked him just the way he was.

Today is Ravioli Day. I have to admit I was over 25 before I realized that ravioli did not have to come out of a can. My man, Chef Boyardee, was to me the creator and founder of all things ravioli. A can of his tomato pasted goodness was the perfect after school snack for my brother and I. As I got older I found out that you didn't have to put that grainy meat substance in your pasta to have ravioli. You could use seafood or chicken or even vegetables or cheese and it would still be outstanding.

So why not invite a neighbor over for a can of ravioli today? It would be a great way to celebrate the first day of Spring and two more of our off beat holidays.