This weekend marks both a beginning and an end.
It is the end of the several month long process I have been working on to become an adult leader with the Boy Scouts of America. The process hasn’t been hard, but has required a fair amount of tenacity. I won’t bore you with the entire process, but figuring out who to get in contact with, actually getting into contact with them, filling out the forms properly, and then waiting for the right training opportunities ate up a surprising chunk of time. I am not 100% done with the training, and it appears it may be some time before I actually am, but I figured I was far enough along in the process to warrant a blog post.
A lot of people I have come into contact with in this process ask “So why are you getting involved?” this question generally comes right after they ask how old my boy is. I hope I haven’t confused anybody with my answer being somewhat different each time. It isn’t that I don’t know it’s just hard to summarize.
For one, my amazing wife was honest enough with me to make it clear that she didn’t want to become a camper, and I would rather camp in a scouting environment than with the guys who consider ‘several cases of beer’ to be essential camping supplies.
Another reason is to just find ways to get involved with the community here. It has been far too easy to just go from home to work and then back again without interacting with anybody. This seems like a great way to learn about the area (I still don’t know where most of the outlying towns are), and meet a broader swath of people.
The final reason is basically that I always figured I would. When you become an Eagle, they remind you that part of your obligation is to give back to scouting. I remember being asked specifically if I were planning to get involved with a troop once I started college. I am sure I said yes, and no doubt meant it, but I just never got around to it. Heather has been a great encouragement in that… I don’t know if I ever would have started this process without her, but I am really proud that I have.
I have actually been mildly involved with the meetings for a month now, and the first camp-out I will go on is mid October.
That reminds me, I should probably make some time to go through my camping gear and see if it is all ready to go… most of it has been packed up for the last ten years 🙂
-Jordan
Nelsons 