Nicholson
Have you ever set a goal that came with an unexpected surprise when you achieved it?
Before I share the story of a young lady I recently met, let me tell you about my week serving as the mayor of the best small town in America.
Congratulations to Seymour Police Chief Bryant Lucas on accepting your new position as director-chief of police for the South Central Region of Indiana University Health. Thank you for your service over the last few years. I will be accepting applications until June 3 for anyone who is interested and be naming an interim chief soon.
Thank you to Bri Roll with Seymour Main Street for allowing me to join you and board members Brian Terrell and Drew Storey for the Main Street Now 2022 conference. During the 2021 conference, I had the chance to sit in on and learn from a few sessions virtually. For 2022, we had a chance to divide and conquer as we reviewed available sessions before we split up and tried to learn as much as possible along the way.
Each of the 14 sessions I attended brought something of value to be brought back to our community. I am excited to see which sessions from the others lead to new ideas and programs after we sit down and review our notes. A few of the highlights for me were upper-story housing, small-batch promotions and a wonderful session on infill development.
Back to that unexpected surprise for one amazing young lady. Back in fourth grade, she had learned about the Indy 500. Fast forward a few years and she was discussing the race with her gym teacher and how the race was 200 laps that equal 500 miles. She then set a goal to walk or roll 200 laps during the spring semester.
While this doesn’t seem like much, you have to realize she regularly uses a wheelchair or a walker. As the staff learned of her goal, they helped by setting up a tracker and encouraging her along the way. When her school counselor shared this story with me, I remembered that each May, the Indy 500 festival includes Breakfast at the Brickyard, where they invite all of Indiana’s mayors to meet at the track.
When we first reached out, I had hoped for some prizes to help her reach her goal. I realized quickly some prizes would not be what came to be, and it would be a much more memorable moment. Her and her mom were able to join my wife, Zabrina, and I as my special guests for the event. She was recognized for her perseverance over the semester.
Her achievement was shared with more than 900 guests of the event, which included some of the greats of the IndyCar world, such as James Hinchcliffe and the one and only Roger Penske.
Even with walking issues and needing to use a walker or wheelchair, she pushed through to reach her goal. Even with an extended hospital stay, she pushed through to reach her goal. It was my honor to help make the connections for such an unexpected reward for reaching that goal.
Every day, we have choices to keep going or to throw in the towel. Every day, we decide to keep moving or stop. Physicist Marie Curie said, “Life is not easy for any of us. But what of that? We must have perseverance and above all confidence in ourselves. We must believe that we are gifted for something and that this thing, at whatever cost, must be attained.”
I hope we can all find the confidence of one young lady with such an infectious laugh and keep reaching for our goals. Keep taking those steps even when we don’t know that an extra special reward is just past our own personal yard of bricks.
Matt Nicholson is the mayor of Seymour. Send comments to [email protected].