Be a friend for someone in need

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By Matt Nicholson

Auschwitz survivor Eddie Jaku said, “Tomorrow will come, but first, enjoy today.”

As you enjoy today, I will share some of my recent week.

Weather permitting, by the time you read this, the newest downtown mural commissioned by Seymour Main Street will almost be done. Artists Michael Ferrarell and Nick Capozzoli have been working long hours to get the finished product on the wall.

As the different panels celebrating various pieces of Seymour’s history and businesses go up, I must say I enjoy it more and more. One of my favorites is from the late 1800s and reminds us that Timms Manufacturing Co. built bicycles right here in Seymour.

Aug. 31 was International Overdose Awareness Day. This year’s local event was held at Crossroads Community Park. Every year I have been able to attend, it is always the speakers that impress me the most. They are willing to get up in front of the crowd and share their stories of recovery, of loss and more.

This year, as always, thank you to those speakers for sharing. I would guess almost every family has some connection to addiction. We will never turn a corner to a brighter tomorrow if we remain silent on the topic.

Thank you also to the organizers for putting together the event again this year, and I encourage everyone to go ahead and mark your 2022 calendar for Aug. 31 so you don’t forget and schedule something over it.

During my recent visit with Water Pollution Control, I would guess I can safely say I was one of just a handful of people who helped resurface a clarifier this week. As we all know, preventative maintenance will extend the life of equipment. I am not joking when I say working with Chad at WPC gives me a chance to get my hands dirty, and I appreciate that. Thanks, Chad.

I also recently had a chance to speak at the Seymour Noon Lions Club meeting. They asked for a mid-year update, and it gave me a chance to share about those 14 future topics from my State of the City presentation back in February.

I also took the plunge and submitted my application to join the club. Besides making sure we all have a good choice of Oktoberfest shirts, they do free vision screenings for students in the Jackson County area. If you are trying to figure out where you fit in, check out lionsclub.org for information.

Back to Eddie Jaku and his quote, “Tomorrow will come, but first, enjoy today.”

Mr. Jaku was born in 1920 in Germany. As a teenager, he was beaten, arrested and sent to a concentration camp. For the next seven years, he faced unimaginable horrors. The Nazis had taken everything from him except his spirit. He went on to later promise to smile every day, and at over 101, he continues to tell his story in his memoir titled “The Happiest Man on Earth.” In 2019, he gave a TED talk in Sydney where he starts with, “My dear new friends.”

Later in the speech, he shares that he is doing everything he can to make this world a better place and encourages you to do so, as well.

Remember these words: “Please do not walk in front of me. I may not be able to follow. Please do not walk behind me. I may not be able to lead. Just walk beside me and be my friend.”

Today, I hope we can all learn from Mr. Jaku’s example and be that friend for someone in need.

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