Not by Chance
Weekly Update #255 12/8/2024 to 12/14/2024
Roger Maris said, “You hit homeruns not by chance, but by preparation.” Join me as I share some of my week serving as mayor of the best small town in America, and keep this quote in mind along the way.
This week, I had a chance to speak to the graduating Leadership Jackson County Yojack class. As they came together for the session, they had a chance to donate diaper wipes to the Sweet Cheeks Diaper Pantry. During my talk I reminded them what a group who comes together could accomplish by looking at the donation box overflowing as they each brought together one or two items that quickly turned into a large amount to help Sweet Cheeks. I reminded them that they were brightening the future by preparing their leadership skills as they participated in Yojack this year. I took the chance to encourage them to bring some enthusiasm to whatever they had to tackle for the day as it may not change the outcome, but it definitely changes the attitude during the process. More than anything I reminded them that they can accomplish amazing things and they have spent the last several months helping prepare for a brighter future for our community.
The Seymour High School band had their annual Christmas Concert this past week, and they packed the 1100 seats at the Earl D. Prout Auditorium for the night. Mr. Cottrill and all the band instructors in Seymour Community Schools work hard all year long preparing all the bands from the Intermediate building to SHS for the next event. This time of year it is concert band at SHS, and they did a wonderful job showcasing their efforts. I was not a band kid in school, but my three daughters have all benefited from the band program in Seymour Schools, and I hope you will encourage your kids and grandkids to get involved as well. Congratulations to everyone involved; the show was well done.
This week also saw a chance for myself to connect with mayors from around the state. Accelerate Indiana Municipalities hosted the Mayor’s Institute where we have a chance to learn from one another on various topics and exchange ideas that have worked and ways to improve upon ones that might have not. The event comes around a couple times a year. It makes for one long day and part of another, but it is valuable to improving our community and communities across the state. Thank you, AIM, for hosting, and thank you to all my fellow mayors for sharing your experiences along the way.
Roger Maris held the single season home run record from 1961 to 1998 and said, “You hit homeruns not by chance, but by preparation.” I am sure he worked hard as he prepared during his twelve seasons with the New York Yankees and can only imagine how hard he worked on his hitting prior to breaking Babe Ruth’s record from 1927. In the above paragraphs, I shared examples of how our middle schoolers are working via Yojack, how the band members are working hard to prepare for their “home run” during the concerts, and I even shared an educational moment as the mayors of Indiana prepare during the Mayor’s Institute. All the examples and more each week are showing the preparation side as so many try to hit their own home runs and try to set their own single season record along the way.