Before I go

[Mike_Fossler]

I don't really have too much to add,butI would give some serious thought to your unit and how you can improve it. I think one of the reasons I had a relatively easy time writing my ticket (only 3 versions, the 3rd was accepted) was that I thought long and hard about what I wanted to accomplish in the Pack. This will really help you.

 

Go with a cheerful attiude, don't get sucked into any grumbling by sore-heads (there's always a few) and work hard. It is a very worthwhile program; I can honestly say it was hard work, but now that it's finished, it was really worth it. I'm really looking forward to receiving my beads.

 

"I used to a bobwhite..."

 

Mike

[KoreaScouter]

1. Surrender yourself to the staff. They know what they're doing, and everything has a purpose...even the things that seem out of joint or nonsensical.

 

2. Don't try to game it up front or crash the schedule by trying to psych out the course, writing your ticket before you get there, etc. The Law of the Harvest applies here.

 

3. You'll have classmates who will make you wonder why they volunteered to attend, or if they even volunteered at all. Be kindly and patient with them, as you would a feeble elderly relative; most will catch on, and when they do, they'll feel sheepish at best.

 

4. For me, and most people I know personally who completed WB, the "one big thing" (as Curly said in City Slickers) is not even an overt part of the curriculum. A light bulb will turn on over your head, you'll know why you're there, you'll know why you're in Scouting, you'll know how to play your role in your unit, and you'll understand your Scouts better than you did before. Again, for me, it was like Peter being smitten on the road to Damascus -- that dramatic.

 

Now, if you'll excuse me, I have another matter to attend to (visual: KS swivels to the right because Pennsylvania is east of Hawaii). Eamonn, my esteemed colleague: I take great umbrage at your reference to the noble Buffalo as "lowly". Indeed, the noble Buffalo represents the spirit of our nation. Why, when nearly 200 million of them roamed the prairie from the Mississippi to the Rockies, their wallows provided surface water sources for other prairie wildlife, and their very presence contributed to the rich soils that now consititute our "breadbasket to the world" (you can easily figure out what they contributed -- careful now, let's keep this Scoutlike!). Settlers heading out west observed with curiosity the hard-working beavers, the cute little bobwhites, the tasty antelopes, and the majestic eagles, to name just a few. But, they reported fear, awe, and unconditional respect for the rumble of thunder that was vast herds of Buffalo, running for what seemed all day at speeds up to 35 miles per hour. Incredibly hardy, stoic, and resilient are the Buffalo, even under incredible hardship and endangered as a species as they are now. In keeping with Scouting's embrace of Native American cultures, customs, and philosophy, it's only fitting that Native Americans are leading the effort to rebuild the Buffalo nation from its current "tattered remnants". (Ahem, as I adjust myself)

 

As you may have guessed, I used to be...a Buffalo.

 

KS

[dsteele]

A majestic Eagle (me) salutes the buffalo down below. Long may you roam!

 

Unc.

[kittle]

Have fun for me. I would like to go, but it will probably be several years before I am able. At the moment I have a 4 year old (and no babysitter).

 

Once again, have fun.