If I could

Owning a café is probably the perfect job for coffee-loving Nick Schryvers. But the owner of Bridge Street’s Victus Coffee and Eatery also fills us in on his dreams of sax, railways and multi-tasking.

You can learn from your mistakes; but it’s probably better to learn from others’. I’ve been lucky to have been surrounded by some incredibly wise and caring people in my life, and I probably could’ve done with taking (and asking for) their advice a little bit more. I probably let the fear of failure stop me from starting with a few things, so I’d tell my younger self to simply give it a good go. Aim as high as you can, if you make it, hooray! If you don’t, you’ll still probably be better off than not trying at all. Aim high and ask for advice.

The Amazing Race. I love a good challenge and mystery adventure, so think this would be right up my alley. The old pre-Covid version was the best, where they would fly somewhere without knowing the destination. I feel like I’d like to try that one day anyway, ‘Holiday Roulette’! No bags, no schedule, no plans. If they have a New Zealand version, I’ll apply.

It would be amazing for Nelson to have gotten rail access. My Dad has always been a huge train fanatic, and he would often talk about how Nelson was ‘robbed’ of a train line. Although it’s maybe not the most exciting thing I’d change about Nelson, it would be a neat way to improve Nelson’s connectivity and accessibility, plus my Dad would love it! (Shoutout to Willie).

I asked my sons for help with this one, and they suggested telekinesis and portal-making abilities. My wife already has superhuman level empathy, so that’s covered. I’ve always wanted to fly, but who hasn’t. I’ve got an everexpanding list of hobbies, projects and ideas, so maybe the ability to be in multiple places at once. Then I could be in the cafe, riding my bike, baking sourdough, badly learning disc golf, reading a book, building furniture and finally doing my lawns all at once!

The saxophone I bought just before lockdown. I’d always wanted to learn it, so I purchased a used one online. As it turns out, being locked up with the family in a small house up a valley with not a lot of sound proofing is not very conducive to learning a brass instrument for the first time. I tried it a couple of times before destroying all semblance of peace and quiet in the house. It has sat in the basement ever since. I could probably muster up a good cry for help with it too, either that or I’d scare off all the wildlife.

Making people feel loved! We all need love, even the toughest and roughest of us. If I could be remembered for only one thing, it would be that I showed love, made people smile, created moments of happiness in others’ lives, and loved those it was easier not to.