By Matt Nicholson
What if life is really made up of the little things?
Before that though, how about some of my week as the mayor of our great city.
Several years now, the Seymour Parks and Recreation Department has held the End of Summer Escape. It is kind of a last hurrah before school is back in session. This year, they were joined by FOP Lodge 108, which provided hot dogs and snow cones for those in attendance.
The National Guard brought out the rock wall for anyone brave enough to give it a go. Booths representing the Jackson County Public Library and WIC were there. Music and backpack prizes were provided by Dave O’Mara Contractor Inc. Big thanks to everyone who came out for the fun, and an especially big thanks to the first-grader who gave me a hug before she left for the pool. Sometimes, it is the little things that can make your day.
Part of my role is to keep communications open with the state. Recently, I had a sitdown with the governor’s staff. As we have gotten to know each other since early 2020, it is easier to know what is going on from both sides, and we can get much deeper into the topics than we first did.
My goal for this meeting was to see how many items I could check off their list of topics before they had to ask about them. We covered topics like housing, roads, business development and all the way up to random pieces of public policy that citizens have shared with me over the last several months.
Jackson County Fair time. What would an update be without a quick glance back to fair week. Whether it was working booths for Jackson County Industrial Development Corp., the Jackson Chamber of Commerce or the Republican party, I enjoyed getting to chat and catch up with several fairgoers.
I also enjoyed taking a few minutes to visit with Lt. Gov. Suzanne Crouch while she was here. Speaking of lieutenants, thank you goes to Kaleb McKinney for inviting me to be a warm body during the goat milking relay. Congratulations to the Seymour Police Department on its win.
How often we quickly forget the past. Several years ago, I would take a pregame selfie with my softball girls during tournament weekends. Every year, those memories pop up in my time hop, and I can’t help but smile.
Recently, I watched my oldest daughter take her last swings before she aged out in the world of travel ball. Now, we have the memories to enjoy, and it isn’t always the major events that stick out.
It is that time we played the all-nighter and I remember our youngest falling asleep in the booth at White Castle during breakfast. It is seeing the sun come up with my middle daughter in her favorite position behind the plate. It is a hug after a loss and a jumping catch after a championship.
The world is full of busy people, myself included, and all too often, we forget to stop and enjoy the little moments like we should. Those little moments will be the ones you smile the most at later in life as the busyness wears off. Don’t forget to enjoy them while they are happening because one day, they will all be behind us.
To all my girls who aged out of travel ball recently, I will miss you, but most importantly, I will miss the chance to enjoy those little moments that often go unnoticed. Thank you to both you and your parents for allowing me to be a part of your life over the years.
Henry David Thoreau said, “The little things in life are as interesting as the big ones.”
And thanks to you, I have plenty of both.