By: Ali Elizabeth Turner
On Wednesday, Mayor Ronnie and I both had the joy of attending the annual breakfast at Birdie Thornton, and then met at City Hall afterwards. For those of you who may be new to the Athens-Limestone area, the Birdie Thornton Center on S. Hine Street was dedicated in 1973 in honor of a woman who set the bar high when it comes to advocating for and ministering to some of our most challenged, as well as most remarkable, citizens.
We talked about the fact that you just can’t go to Birdie Thornton in a bad mood and not come out ready to whistle. The exuberance, the affection, the authenticity, the camaraderie, the humor — all of it is infectious as well as genuine, and Wednesday’s breakfast was no exception. “I always get energized there,” said the mayor. He added, “They keep us grounded, and if you looked around the room, what you saw was true diversity and inclusion.” He was right.
The mayor wanted people to know that the road right near Chick-fil-A that heads north to connect Hwy 72 to Forrest is almost finished, and will be open within days. This will be a much needed first step when it comes to get some traffic relief for Hwy 72. The word of the day then became variations of the theme of “connect.” “We have got to increase connectivity, to ‘connect the dots,’” (when it comes to improving traffic patterns) said the mayor. He also mentioned possibilities that are being explored to increase the accessibility and use of Hwy 31 for the same purpose. He looked at me and said, (referring to the speed at which we are growing) “I think the 2040 Plan might end up being closer to a 2030 Plan.” “I hear ya,” I said. He took a minute and got a bit philosophical when he said, “You know, the priority will always be, ‘stay safe’ because without public safety, nothing else really matters.”
We moved on to our book, and we are in Chapter 10 of Crucial Conversations. The title of Chapter 10 is “Putting It All Together,” and the opening quote is, “Communication works for those who work at it.” It is attributed to John Powell, and there is so much in this chapter that we are going to have to do a part two. One important paragraph reads as follows:
If we first learn to recognize when safety is at risk and a conversation becomes crucial (Learn to Look) and that we need to take steps to Make It Safe for everyone to contribute his or her meaning, we can begin to see where to apply the skills we’ve learned.
We both agreed that if ever there were a time in our town and in our country for us to work on communication skills, whether at home, work, church, or in the community, it is now. People’s lives literally depend on it, and so does America’s future. So, we prayed to that end, and then it was time for Ronnie to roll.
By: Ali Elizabeth Turner
