A Very Nice Shirt

Recently, my wife hinted that it might be time to upgrade my wardrobe. She did not say it outright. Instead, as we walked through a department store, she would say things like, “That shirt would look nice on you,” or, “What do you think of this one?”

It was code, and I am usually slow to pick up on such things.

When I started working for the City of Castroville, they gave me a nice selection of logo-embroidered shirts. Basically, I could wear a different color every day of the week. Choosing what to wear was simple and took no thought at all.

After several years, my lovely wife decided I could use a little upgrade. She took me shopping, and we found some really beautiful shirts that breathe well and are perfect for winter, spring, summer, or fall. The problem was they required a little more maintenance than my city-issued shirts.

The old shirts could go straight into the wash with everything else. They did not need any special attention, and I never gave them much thought. My new shirts, however, need to be washed in cold water and dried on a gentle cycle.

Recently, I was doing laundry and thought to myself, “I don’t think I wore one of those nice shirts last week.” So I tossed everything into the washer as usual. I am sure you see where this is going.

When I pulled the load from the dryer, I saw it immediately. One of my nice shirts was in there, and I had washed and dried it the wrong way. I would tell you not to mention it to my wife, but she is my designated proofreader, so she will know soon enough.

That mistake made me think about how we care for our cities, communities, and towns. Sometimes, we get the grant, build the new project, and then fail to adjust our approach. We add something new but treat it like everything that came before it. We do not give it the extra attention it needs simply because it is “new” or “improved.”

Tender loving care takes purposeful planning. I should not have just assumed I had not worn one of those shirts. I should have checked before starting the load.

What is your plan? What is your city doing to keep the momentum going after a major project? What new processes need to be in place to ensure your investment is protected?

I know of a city that built new amenities in a park, including modern public bathrooms. They designed them well and made sure they could be used properly. But they also built a large wall where one side was hidden from view. It quickly became a canvas for graffiti artists.

Before that, the city had never dealt with graffiti in that park, so they had no plan for it. They treated the “new shirt” just like every other shirt in the load, and it showed.

Think about your community. What processes need to change because you added something new? Are there areas being neglected because you have grown accustomed to doing things a certain way? What needs to be adjusted before you take the next step?

I now have a very wrinkled shirt in my closet reminding me not to make the same mistake twice.