Honey
Weekly Update #244 9/22/2024 to 9/28/2024
Honey over vinegar is always better was the close of an email that I received this week. First though, let me share some of my week serving as mayor of the best small town in America.
This week, I had a chance to speak to Leadership Jackson County during their monthly meeting. I shared some about my usual duties and beyond by diving into some of the various items over the last four years. Things like the Curb Appeal program that has generated over $209,000 in finished projects with just $26,600 worth of program funding. The fact that we have received 98.7% of possible Crossroads Community Matching Grant funds for road work since the start of 2020 to do $11.6 million in paving projects that touch roughly 25% of Seymour roadways. I also shared about the team that it takes to keep a city like ours moving forward and how none of it is possible without them. Thank you, Rexanne, for the invite to share some of my story with this year’s class.
Several members of the city team also had a chance to sit down this week with Governor Holcomb and share some of our work and ask a few questions along the way. From local art to tax funding, the topics varied during his visit, but overall, it was a good chance for team members to tell our story at the state level. Thank you, Governor Holcomb and crew, for taking time to stop by.
Hopefully, you had a chance to catch Becky and me on WJAA 96.3 this week. If not, don't worry; I visit with her on the fourth Tuesday of each month at 9 a.m. to catch up about the previous month’s topics and upcoming items in the next week or two. Some of this week’s topics ranged from council ordinances to the upcoming Oktoberfest. The parade coming up on Saturday at 1:30 and the alternate route up 5th Street to Walnut then across to 2nd Street back down to the American Legion and over to 4th heading back west towards SHS was a lengthy topic. Congratulations to this year’s parade marshal retired Fire Chief Brad Lucas, who has served the community for over 40 years in many different ways from being a firefighter to serving on the Oktoberfest Board he has given in many ways over the years. Don’t forget downtown closes to traffic Tuesday night at 6 p.m. and will reopen in the wee hours of Sunday morning after the streets have been packed with foot traffic for days.
Back to that closing line in an email this week. This person took time out of their day to offer some words of encouragement. Honey over vinegar is a simple reminder that people appreciate a positive approach over complaining about everything under the sun. Many years ago, I found myself with somewhat of a rotten disposition and wanted to complain about every little thing and forgot to notice all the good going on around me. When I focused on seeing the good, it shifted not only my mindset, but my view of the world around me. I went from a negative mindset to trying to help those working on making their little corner of the world improve even more for those they serve. Everyday, we have plenty of positives to choose from and the choice to notice them or not is with each one of us. Today, I will leave you with a quote from Winston Churchill, "The POSITIVE THINKER sees the INVISIBLE, feels the INTANGIBLE, and achieves the IMPOSSIBLE."