Nomadic life? I'm not sure

[dsteele]

I've been in my current position in the council I currently serve for nearly 18 months now. I'm halfway through my minimum required tenure in this council and will probably move with my wife in another 18 months.

 

That will be my third move to my fourth council. I have mixed feelings about moving every few years. On the one hand, my wife and I look forward to a career in many different places, meeting new people along the way, and living in many different states and communities.

 

On the other hand, I truly love this area. The people are great, we're on the shores of Lake Michigan and Wisconsin is a great state in which to live.

 

The town we currently living is, in many ways, very much like 1960's America. The restaurant I eat lunch in nearly every day is unchanged from the 1960's. You can still get a fried egg sandwhich on toast (2 eggs) for $2.00 and the iced tea is freshly brewed.

 

We have only two counties to cover and, if I drive west of the interstate, I find myself in idyllic farm country (mostly dairy farms, but some cabbage and beans) with rolling hills and many old structures from the 19th century.

 

I'll be sad to leave this place. On the other hand, what other places can we live and what wonders will be available there?

 

I was fortunate to spend 10 years in my first council and left only because there were no advancement opportunities available beyond what had been created for me.

 

Four years in the suburbs of Chicago turned out to be one year too many. I had ceased to enjoy the traffic, and, quite frankly, the blame shifting that is prevalent there.

 

Three years in Racine seems about 10 years too few, but there are no advancement opportunities here and there could be damage if I stick around too long and end up turning down opportunities to go for a Scout Executive position (which I've already done once.)

 

Does this make me a nomad?

 

DS

[nldscout]

Dave,

Sometimes moving is good. Does it make you a nomad? Not yet. I moved 9 times in my 24 yrs in the Army. We always followed the last box philosophy.

 

When you unpacked the last box from your last move, thats when you got new orders to move again. Thats why you packed a box of useless stuff and never opened it.

 

Have you unpacked your last box yet?

[dsteele]

Nldscouter:

 

You made me laugh with that last box thing. No, we haven't unpacked the last box. We haven't unpacked the last box from the first move, let alone the second.

 

Actually, we live in a three bedroom house with a living room and a family room. The family room is an addition and it has a crawl space under it that's accessible from the basement laundry room (it's a ranch house.) I call that crawl space "the bunker." In the bunker are about 20 boxes which haven't been open since we left Michigan for Illinois and Illinois for Wisconsin. Mostly the boxes contain "teacher stuff" that my wife assembled, but hasn't needed, but might need some day. So we move them and will move them again and again.

 

At least when it's time to retire, we'll have a variety of places to chose to retire to.

 

Then I can opem the quilt shop of my dreams and teach little old ladies how to applique in my spare time.

 

Thanks for the reply.

 

DS

[Fat Old Guy]

Isn't there another council within an hour's drive of your current home that could use your services?

[ManyIrons]

Dsteele,

 

Like nldscout, and no doubt many other active/retired military members here, Ive done my share of moving. Ive had 9 assignments in 20 years. During my first 4 years I averaged less than 18 months at any one assignment. After my first ten years I had an average time on station of about 2 years. Of the nine assignments only 3 were the typical 3-year length.

 

None of this is remarkable by military standards. Moving is part of the equation and considered necessary to develop the proper breadth of experience and to take on increasingly challenging jobs. I suspect the same is true for the professionals in BSA.

 

I always counseled my troops to figure out what it was in life that would make them happy, determine the path necessary to get there, and then to make it happen. My advice to you is the same. Only you know what your goals are, and Im sure you know what you need to do to achieve them. It sounds like youve already committed to doing that, but youre obviously not happy about leaving a place youve come to love. Regrettably it goes with the job. However, just because you leave a place doesn't mean you can't ever return.

 

So would I call you a nomad? No, nor would I give that appellation to a military member or any other career that requires moving as part of its culture. One meaning of the nomad is wanderer which implies one is aimless and has a lack of purpose. Even from my short time on this forum I wouldnt use that to characterize you.

 

If I have to leave you with one thought it would be this: Dont think of yourself as a nomad, try to think of yourself as a voyageur. From reading your posts I think its a more apt description.

 

[dsteele]

Thanks for the words of encouragement. I try not to make the world think I need them, but I do.

 

I truly have come to love this place. It's strange to me that the people that have lived here their entire lives seem to degrade it, but I find it to be a wonderful place to live.

 

I will have to shove off eventually, and it will be within the next 18 months. I took a 12,000 dollar pay cut to remain with the BSA and to be here. My wife, due to some unusual circumstances in the teaching profession, got a $10.000 increase in pay that will go away in the next three years and all at once. Financially, I need to move.

 

I appreciate Fat Old Guy's suggestion that there is probably a council within an hour's drive of my home that can use my services -- Milwaukee would qualify. However, my next move would be to be one of three or so Field Directors in Milwaukee, and I've already been a field director. That job, by the way, is lousy. No desire to do it again.

 

So, I have no idea where I'll go next. I'd prefer to be the Scout Executive of a samll council. In other words, I'd prefer to be a captain in the field than a Colonel in the Pentagon.

 

So much more to be done. Thanks for the support.

 

DS

[hops_scout]

Dave, I'm telling you, our council has an opening for Scout Executive...;)

 

And we're pretty small. Only like four districts I think. Hey, you would most likely be able to meet purcelce and me;)

 

Ok, I just checked the council website and apparently we have at least a temperarily Scout Executive(This message has been edited by hops_scout)

[Eamonn]

As most people can tell as soon as I open my mouth I am not from Southwestern PA.

I have not done that much relocating. A couple of moves around London. A town which is still the best. I love the trains and buses, the cheeky kids and the diverse population. Strange as it may sound it is at times nice to go and buy a beer without someone asking 'Where are you from?" If only we could move it over here. I love this place. Not just for what it has given me and it has given me a lot. I know that if I had gone to the banks back "Home" armed only with a business plan and asked them to lend me almost a million dollars when they had finished laughing they would have given me a kick in the pants!!

This small town with less then 5000 people means a lot to me. In business I have seen the young Lads come in and try to buy a beer under age and told them to come back when they are old enough. I have seen them grow played golf with them. Catered all sorts of events gone to their weddings and and now seeing them raise their own families. As I think I have said before it is not possible to drive around this area with two hands on the wheel. You need one to wave and return waves with.

Just this week we sold our house and the last bar. We are on the move. Not far just 3.5 miles into town. I love our house and will miss some things, but I don't need six garages and mowing seven acres of grass takes half a day even with the tractor. Yes the small ranch house will seem small and I could have done without the pool but I was out voted. The small town is very dear to Her That Must Be Obeyed, the local park is named after her grandparents family as are some of the streets. She is proud of that. While some would say that the town is dying. I would say it is changing. Yes the super Walmart is hurting the small shops, but the local hardware store is always busy. Thanks to them having great service and selling the stuff that no one else would stock. The Schools are great the teachers for the most part attended the very same school.

While moving "Home" does come up every now and then I have to remember that we are home at least for home for Jamie (The Wife) and OJ my son. I don't know what will happen when OJ leaves. I really don't like the cold winters. Still we will deal with that when it comes.

I don't think that I would like to have to pack up my tent and move as much as you Pro. Scouters do. But I think you know that if you are to follow the yellow brick road that is your career, that's what you have to do. We have had two Pros that opted to stay. The Assistant Scout Exec. Before the one we almost have?? Was here for many years and died here. Then the one who is still here but has had his job taken away but remains as something?? (I am not sure what title, but no longer the Assistant Scout Exec.) He has been here for over 25 years.

But Dave I feel sure that you will do a great job no matter where you land. Who knows maybe one day if I ever make Council Pres we can team up as a Council key3.

Stranger Things do happen.

Eamonn

[KoreaScouter]

Is it nomadic? Sure, but up to a point, that's not a bad thing. Shucks, I've moved around a lot too; in 15 years together, Mrs. KS and I have moved 7 times and lived on 3 different continents. Wouldn't trade it for anything, but putting down roots is looking better all the time.

 

You reach a point, and that point is different for everyone, where you make a tradeoff between what will be better for your career and what will be better for your life (they're not necessarily synonymous).

 

Having grown up in Minnesota and being a die-hard Vikings fan, I don't even like slowing down when I go through Wisconsin, but I will privately admit it's a beautiful state, and understand completely why you wouldn't want to leave. I felt the same way about Montana when I lived there. In our case, though, Mrs. KS gets the majority vote on our post-retirement home after years of camp-following -- it was in the brochure when she said "I do". Looks like SE Virginia is going to get the nod.

 

KS