Dear Outsider,
I have fond memories of my time as a Boy Scout.
Setting up campsites...
Hiking up big mountains and learning all about the flora and fauna of the East Coast...
Building a roaring fire...
Making s'mores...
Sleeping under the stars in a tent that I built...
Cooking a breakfast of pancakes, eggs, and bacon in the morning on a cast-iron skillet...
Earning badges at Boy Scout camp, climbing, swimming, shooting a bow...
There are also some not-so-fond memories.
Once, as I sat in the back of an old Ford Bronco with exposed interior lights on a four-hour road trip, I thought, I'll just go ahead and touch this white-hot lightbulb. That's a good idea.
I didn't panic, but I spent the entire camping trip nursing that burn.
We did a lot of carpooling. Back then, many of the parents still smoked, so I'd sit in a crusty minivan breathing in the toxic fumes for the whole drive.
I wouldn't panic, though. I'd just crack the window to get some fresh air.
As a Scout, the first right of passage was to obtain your Totin' Chip card.
This was done by passing a simple test of chopping wood, sawing, and whittling just to make sure you weren't a complete fool when handling a blade.
I still remember one of the Scouts saying, "Don't forget your Totin' Chip," because if you were caught with a knife and you didn't have your card, all hell would break loose.
You'd get reprimanded and have to take the test again.
And getting an adult to supervise your test wasn't easy.
I remember struggling so badly with the task that I ended up being the last person in the troop to get their card.
Finally, I worked up the courage to ask one of the mothers. She supervised me, and bam - I had my card.
Now I could carry a knife (which I was obviously already doing anyway).
As for rising through the ranks, for some reason, I never aspired to be an Eagle Scout.
It just never interested me.
Every Scout has to make a decision once they get so far: keep going or quit.
So I quit.
Maybe it was out of laziness or maybe I had a problem with authority, but I just didn't feel like doing it anymore.
Sometimes I wish I had stuck it out.
Eagle Scouts get a lot of perks when entering the jobs market.
The most important lesson from the Scouts?