Sid Fleming, Iola’s new city administrator, is giving us all the chance to start with a clean slate.
So before you unload on him your version of Iola affairs, take a minute and please, refrain.
Don’t cloud his vision with your beefs.
Better yet, let them go. Set your “baggage” of grudges and injustices on the roadside and drive away.
Then revel in your newfound freedom and try looking at Iola with the eyes of a newcomer like Fleming who sees it brimming with possibilities.
In an interview with the Register, Fleming said he views Iola as a community with potential and that the efforts of the Community Involvement Task Force/PRIDE group and Thrive Allen County are signs of a progressive town, a good place for his young family.
Do you feel as positive about your hometown?
Or have setbacks jaded your perspective. Is a past wrong preventing you from embracing change?
If you find you’re crossing people off some imaginary list because of an injustice — real or perceived — your world is going to get mighty small, mighty quick in a small town.
That’s the proverbial double-edged sword of familiarity. It can be a blessing or a curse.
The downside is that we think we know everything there is to know about someone and we let their “reputation” cloud our impressions of them from here to eternity.
What if we could see everyone — including old-timers — with the eyes of a newcomer? What if we could wipe everyone’s “slate” clean?
Hands down, small communities are better at being neighborly.
We take people at their word. In times of trial and tribulation we are concerned about their welfare. And when we all work together, we can move mountains.
That’s the side we want our new city administrator and his family to see.
But to do so, we must look at each other with fresh eyes.
— Susan Lynn
