Many moons ago, I used to love to listen to the radio on Saturday night. In early adulthood, I did not have a television, so radio was the great alternative. Prairie Home Companion on NPR stations was a delightful two-hour long show featuring various skits and musical numbers.1 But the cherry-on-top was the monologue by host Garrison Keillor reveling his listeners to a story about the fictional town, Lake Wobegon, in Minnesota.2 His cast of characters in the town were unique yet just like us in their strengths, weaknesses, celebrations and disappointments. Mr. Keillor had such a deep understanding of the human condition that the listeners were just waiting for every word to issue forth.
When we still had tape cassettes for the car, I would listen to the Lake Wobegon monologues in the car while on trips. In that fictional town, he would jokingly imply that all woes would be gone in this idyllic community. In the late 1980s, I had the opportunity to be in the studio audience for a live broadcast of the show in South Carolina. What a delight!
When Keillor would finish the news from Lake Wobegon, he would note, “That’s the news from Lake Wobegon, where all the women are strong, all the men are good-looking, and all the children are above average.” This obvious sarcasm was intended to remind us that life can be difficult and that we need to care for and care about each other. Being a good citizen was indeed the message of the news from Lake Wobegon.
The most impactful statements from his radio shows that I remember are the signoff from Prairie Home Companion and his writer’s almanac. His parting exhortation – “be well, do good work, and keep in touch” – is incredibly powerful and worthy of further discussion. This three-part instruction provides profound advice. Let’s explore that advice.
- BE WELL –
- I think this guidance is several-fold. First and foremost, it is important to maintain one’s health in the optimal state. To me, that means physical health, mental health, and behavioral health. All three are crucial. We all know that there are ups and downs in our various health cycles, so BE WELL means to attend to one’s health in the best manner possible. That could mean diet, exercise, social engagement, medical care, reading, crafts, arts and so much more.
- But I also think that BE WELL means to attend to the health of others. We want to maximize the health of our loved ones and our fellow citizens. We do not live in a void, and the health of all affects each and every one of us.
- So, I see BE WELL as a call to encourage us as individuals to get whatever goods and services we need to maximize our health and to assure the same for others.
- DO GOOD WORK –
- This direction puts a finer point on BE WELL. Doing good work directs us as individuals to maximize our strengths, to seek out areas for improvement and to do it now. In our jobs (as students, employees, employers, parents, grandparents, public servants, etc.), it is incumbent on us to be true to our calling and do the best job possible. We should always be thinking “did I do this task to the best of my ability? How can I do better next time?” Perfection is not the goal.
- DO GOOD WORK also means to cherish our diversity, accepting our common humanity and encouraging all to help each other.3 Doing good work is being a good citizen, caring for and caring about others. Everyone has different abilities so different levels of proficiency will be obtained for different tasks. We need to embrace these differences and cherish them. They make us stronger, not weaker.
- KEEP IN TOUCH –
- Above, I mentioned physical, mental and behavioral health. A fourth type of health is key to our social being. Relational health, the interpersonal relations with our loved ones and others, is so important to maintain our ability to nurture our loved ones and to interact in our social world.4 We are meant to be interactive and be around one another. Our children are meant to be swaddled in safe, stable, nurturing relationships (SSNRs) that minimize adverse experiences and maximize positive experiences. If we broaden that scope, I would contend that we should be thinking of SSNRs for others beyond our family – our neighbors, our coworkers, those in need and those that are vulnerable to the harms of a modern society that can brush them aside.
- Keeping in touch should be our way to assure that we are exercising our duties as good citizens and engaging with others. Relationships will be strained at times, yet the acts of repairing those strained relationships are the strength of our humanity when we recognize them. We are not meant to be isolated so keeping in touch should be our way to check in on others, to support others, to nurture others, and to fulfill our role as fellow humans.
Perhaps I have embellished the original intent of Keillor’s signoff. In my role just prior to retirement, I helped direct a clinic for indigent care. In the mornings before the clinic started, we had a huddle to review personnel, potential challenges, and other needs for the day. I always finished with saying, “be well, do good work, and keep in touch.” At first, the staff rolled their eyes with this advice, but over the years, I think they grew to accept it and hopefully internalize it. It is powerful counsel.
My wish for you –
BE WELL
DO GOOD WORK
KEEP IN TOUCH
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Prairie_Home_Companion
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lake_Wobegon
- https://mychildrenschildren.com/was-i-wrong-only-in-style/
- https://mychildrenschildren.com/relate-rupture-repair-repeat/