Well Being
Weekly Update 12/11/2022 to 12/17/2022 #151
Mental, physical, and emotional, are you thinking about your well-being? Let me tell you about my week serving as mayor of the best smalltown in America before I finish this opening thought.
This past week, I attended the Mayor’s Institute hosted by Accelerate Indiana Municipalities and Ball State University. Several times now, I have enjoyed the learning sessions, and the conversations with other mayors from around the state are great chances to see what is working or not working for communities near and far. This was the first time, though, that I have been asked to give a presentation. I was able to share about our Curb Appeal Program, that we implemented in 2021, and the Seymour Shares Time banks, that we launched earlier this year. After the presentation, I had one mayor tell me he already sent the drop box items to his planning and zoning department to start working on implementing. It always feels good to know that the work we do benefits more than just us.
My weekly department visit was with the Department of Public Works. Over the last few years, I have thrown trash on the back of a rear load packer, ridden along in the automated trucks, and worked the business recycling route with the trailer, but I had never done the recycling dumpster route. This week, my trainer was Tracy, and he was kind enough to share stories from his earlier days learning the job and to show me what he needed me to do. While I had my share of pushing a lever when I should have pulled or vice versa, I didn’t do bad. We were able to get the route done a little ahead of schedule even with the rain.
While I host a chat each month with area pastors, I still visit with another group of pastors a couple of times a year. I can’t thank them enough for the chance to unfold various topics that are on their minds and oftentimes walk away with items to explore more.
I would say it has to do with the time of year we are in as to why our well-being is on my mind. The days are getting shorter, the weather is getting cooler, missing family members who have gone, and thinking of things we might not have gotten finished over the last year all start to chip away at our mental well-being. It is that time of year when we have a cookie or five too many and that can affect our physical well-being. Both can play a part in our emotional well-being. While I can’t give you great advice on how to watch out for your own well-being, I can share that someone loves you and cares about you. If you are in a crisis you can text HOME to 741741 to connect with a counselor. It is free and at your fingertips 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Today, I will leave you with a quote from Albert Einstein to help you remember that by helping each other we can help ourselves in many areas. "From the standpoint of daily life, however, there is one thing we do know: that we are here for the sake of each other - above all for those upon whose smile and well-being our own happiness depends, and also for the countless unknown souls with whose fate we are connected by a bond of sympathy. Many times a day I realize how much my own outer and inner life is built upon the labors of my fellow men, both living and dead, and how earnestly I must exert myself in order to give in return as much as I have received."