Around 4100
Weekly Update #208 1/21/2024 to 1/27/2024
The average Hoosier only gets around 4100 to make the most of, but before I see where this thought leads, let me share some of my week serving as mayor of the best small town in America.
Welcome back to Public Information Specialist January Rutherford. We often don’t realize how much someone does until they are out of the office. Since Thanksgiving, we have been trying to take care of all she does for the community. As she returned this past Monday, she didn’t miss a beat and was right back at working on the Eclipse Festival coming up in April, recording various meetings, and catching up on all she missed. January, I am glad you are feeling better and glad to see you back around City Hall.
I spent part of a day this week working with Water Pollution Control. While it was a slower day, we still managed to get some cleaning done, and I chatted with the crew from the lab as they ran their daily sample tests. I also had a chance to get briefed on some upcoming purchases from their capital plan for 2024. This prepared me for the requests as they came to the Board of Public Works and Safety meeting on Thursday and how they got to their recommendations. Thanks, WPC, for the chance to get out of the office and help out this week.
This week, I had a chance to volunteer with some of the members of the Mayor’s Youth Council at Sweet Cheeks Diaper Pantry here in Seymour. This also gave me a chance to learn more about the pantry as well. Originally, they had expected to serve around 50 each month with their services. As the first month came and went, they discovered the need was much higher than expected and have served over 400 in a month since with the average being over 300. As a group, we packaged diapers and wipes in bags of 42. If you are curious why 42, the answer is that is about half of what is needed for a two week span with a little one in diapers. If you are in need of help or are interested in volunteering or donating, reach out to director Jessica Olsen or visit them at First Presbyterian Church 301 N. Walnut Street here in Seymour. Thank you, Jessica, for the chance to volunteer and for educating us on what you do in our community.
So what is it that the average Hoosier gets around 4100 of? We get around 4100 weeks to use to the fullest. Over 900 of those will be spent in our youth with around 676 in school not including any college or vocational training. Each year, we get 52 chances to start a new week on Sunday and make it the best it possibly can be. Most of those will be spent at work with a few vacation weeks sprinkled in here and there. It can be easy to remember to enjoy the vacation weeks; it is sometimes much harder to remember to make the work weeks the best they can be. For me, I have now had a chance to write an update on 208 of them since I started serving as mayor 212 weeks ago. I have had a chance to reminisce on the ups and downs of our community and get to review each week as I schedule reposts on my social media. Today, I encourage you to not wait until you are down to your last weeks to try to make up for lost time. Instead, get out there and try that new fitness class. Plan that vacation with the kids. Call up your friends and schedule a lunch date to catch up on what is going on. I will leave you with the words of Roman Poet Horace because you only have around 4100 weeks to enjoy, "Carpe diem! Rejoice while you are alive; enjoy the day; live life to the fullest; make the most of what you have. It is later than you think."