FOUL BALL
Weekly update 6/12/2022 to 6/18/2022 #125
FOUL BALL! Before I take you out to the ballpark to share some lessons learned though, let me share some of my recent week serving as mayor of the best smalltown in America.
I recently had a chance to proclaim it Flag Day during the Elks Lodge Flag Day Ceremony. After a presentation on the history of the American flag, Don Hill shared about his trip to Washington DC with Indy Honor Flight. One of his descriptors during his speech was "respectfully quiet", but I will save that for another time. Thank you, Elks Lodge, for hosting and helping guests young and old learn and grow.
One of my work visits recently was with Water Pollution Control. As they normally do, they had no problem assigning me to a crew and sending me out to learn about our city from a different view. We televised a couple of sanitary lines along with a storm line for a few reasons. One was to inspect a recent sewer tap that had been installed; another was to help locate the end of a line for future improvements in the area. We also wrapped up a manhole project, getting the riser installed and dirt placed back around it for the homeowner to be able to do some small items in the easement to get it back to looking normal. As crazy as it sounds, I always enjoy my visits with WPC and leave with a smile on my face.
Congratulations, Chief O’brien, on your recent promotion. I spent several days conducting interviews and weighing options for several candidates before announcing my decision. With 26 years of experience with SPD, Chief O’Brien has a vast knowledge of the department on many different levels. He has served in many different roles during those years and has served our sworn officers as secretary of the pension board. Mix that with his acceptance into the FBI National Academy and I believe he will continue to develop his skill set in his new role. Congratulations also go out to his selection for Assistant Chief John Watson.
A special thank you to Barry’s Tree Service for recently helping us get the Rodeo banner off of the grain bins.
Bases loaded in the top of the inning. Here comes the pitch. The tink of the bat. What a hit! FOUL BALL! comes the call from the umpire. The only problem is that the hit was a beautiful gap shot to right-center field. When the dust settled, it was a stand-up double for the batter that scored three runners. Well, it would have been if it wasn’t for that pesky FOUL BALL call by the umpire. You see when an official calls the ball dead, play stops and all the runners go back to where they were before the pitch. As a coach, I questioned how he got a foul ball call when the ball clearly landed in right-center. He very quickly helped me learn the first of a couple of lessons that day, which was when you make a mistake own up to it. He shared that he believed he heard the ball hit the net on the backstop and assumed that it must be a foul ball. The speed with which he admitted his mistake actually did a good job of calming the angry coach in me down. The second lesson that I walked away with I use in many aspects of life on a regular basis. That lesson is to take a moment and evaluate all the information before making the call. Especially when, like in this case, the call can not be reversed. Patience is really the key when trying to look at the full picture. Perhaps American Theologian Fulton J. Sheen was onto something when he said, "Patience is power. Patience is not an absence of action; rather it is 'timing' it waits on the right time to act, for the right principles and in the right way."