The magic of Scouting

[t158sm]

In another thread someone seems to have taken issue with my use of "magic" to describe Scouting.

What do you think? Has Scouting brought a "magic" into your life also?

[flmomscoutw3]

To watch my one of my sons plan how "his" patrol is going to be the "best the troop has ever seen" and then watch as he makes a plan and shares it with 7 other young men between the ages of 11-17 (he is 13) is magic. He has got them excited about patrol meetings. They are making plans together on how to help the 3 boys who are under first class reach that goal. They are giving him ideas to take to the PLC on ideas for next the next years activities. Yes it is truly magic.

My oldest is very close to Eagle, just completing some dangling bits. When we are watching him receive that award that he has worked so hard for, yes it will be magic.

The time that I get to spend with my sons and their best friends,how can that not be a magic moment in my life. I hope that it is magic in theirs.

Seeing a boy "finally" get that bowline or some other skill he can not grasp, the look on his face is magic.

How anyone can take issue with saying scouting is magic is not experiencing the same scouting I am experiencing. If you really sit back and watch what is going on, yeah they fight, yeah they bicker, but tell me what "family" does not. These boys are growing into young men in front of our eyes. I'd say that is really MAGIC.

YiS

[Eamonn]

"Hi I'm Eamonn, I'm a Scouter"

But I'm also a lot of other things and there things apart from Scouting that I like to do and want to do.

I'm a little unsure if I like the word Magic?

I know that at one time I allowed Scouts and Scouting to almost become too important. I was so busy Scouting that my wife, my family and friends all seemed to get pushed aside.

We have a couple of people in our District that seem to be heading down that path.

A sad side effect of this is that a lot of people who are doing too much seem to judge others by their commitment to Scouting. Adults look at other adults and can't understand why if they are at Scout functions six nights a week, everyone else isn't? They at times fail to understand that some Scouts are also a lot of other things and even though they are active, living their life by the Oath and Law, they are also active in other organizations and activities.

I have really enjoyed nearly all the time that I have spent as a Scout, I've learned a lot and had many satisfying experiences.

I do have some concerns about what happens to old Scouters?

Sure we hear about the old 100 year old Scouter, but they are the exception not the rule.

I'm sitting here trying to remember the names of past Day Camp Directors, I can't go back more than about ten years!! A lot of these people who at one time were the "Movers and Groover's" active in the District, important hard workers are gone. Either they are just to old or they quit. I'm ashamed that I have been so busy Scouting, I lost contact with them and because they are no longer Scouting, I don't have very much use of them.

Boy -You don't know how much it pains me to write that!!

I hope that I know when the time to be gone comes around. I sure don't want to be the old fellow who bores the heck out of everyone telling them how it was in the good old days.

I do think that Scouts, Scouter's and Scouting is all very special. - But I'm not sure about magic?

Eamonn.

[SM12505]

t158sm,

 

You woulden be refering to the theme for the northeast region National Camping School?

 

SM12505

[t158sm]

There are many people I consider good friends who are no longer involved in Scouting. Perhaps we met in Scouting but that really doesn't form the basis of our friendship. There is a difference between a friend and a acquaintance. Just because you know someone doesn't make them your friend.

Magic is seeing someone you haven't seen in a few years light up and cry tears of happiness upon seeing you even though it was at his wife's funeral. Your true friends are your friends forever.

Magic is having a "lad" who only came to a few meetings and never spoke up, never really took part in the meeting come up to you several years later and thank you for the great time he had.

Magic is having a Cub Scout give you something he just made and was so proud of just because he wanted you to have what he made.

Magic is being very ill almost to the point of dying and having everyone else rally around you to make sure you know what you mean to them - just in case.

There are so many ways to describe the magic in Scouting - I wish I could list them all.

Eamonn, I'm sorry but I think you missed my intent.

There are many people who do take Scouting too serious, who give to much of their time at the expense of other more important things in their lives. They I think fail to feel the magic. Scouting becomes more than a game to them, sadly it changes into something else.

 

[SSScout]

True story.

My good friend T. and I were the "Scout Craft" guys at the Cub Scout Day Camp. Since our theme was "Frontier Days" we had decided to use the Lewis and Clark expedition as a framework for the camp. Worked really well. Anyway, T. and I were the Scout Craft guys, and he had assumed the personna of a French Voyageur and used a cartoon french accent all thru camp, thus: "Zee naught iz held een yo' haund lika zis.. hau, hau ,hau...". Weeks later, we were in a grocery store and a small boy comes up to T. and smiles, and says "hau, hau, hau," and runs away giggling.

 

That's the magic of Scouting.

 

YiS

[Fuzzy Bear]

I am getting older and I believe that I am on the threshold of qualifying for the boring story squad. As a new adult Scouter, I was Scouting six and seven days a week. I felt like I was doing a world of good for everyone. People even thought that I was getting paid and I felt I had been "born again" into a kind of Scouting Minister. When my personal life finally hit the wall, it was little more than a bug against the window incident to most that knew me. Everyone else must have expected it and I didn't even see it coming. I faded and then slowly over a few years I returned but on a much more subdued level. Scouting for me will always be magic for so many different reasons. I can count back to many Cub Day Camps and Scout Camps and the people, friends, and Scouting family that I worked with but no longer see. They will remain in my memory and stories as I make new friends in what I believe to be the best organization anywhere. I love it and I continue to learn from it. I especially like the magic. FB

[Vicki]

Welcome back from hibernation, Fuzzy!

 

Magical moments, absolutely. The last camporee - not magical. Too much work, not enough fun and ill to boot. I think the scouts and Webelos had a good time, though. Wood Badge a couple of years back, NYLT last summer - there's fairy dust over those entire experiences and it glitters with magic.

 

But it's the slog parts that make me appreciate the moments, but that's the way life as a whole is...

 

Vicki

[Fuzzy Bear]

Thanks Vicki for your acknowledgement. It looks like the woods have changed a little since I left. My family and I moved to another part of town. We have an acre or two of trees, a smaller but more usable home; we built a shop and repaired the area under the house for storage. I moved my rock collection, several tons, to be used for walks and garden areas. Work has been hectic. The paperwork mill got out of control but is slowly coming back into focus. I have written a couple of papers and presented. We are still holding our breath until the other place sells. I suppose the changes are numerous here also. I think it was magic. FB

[gwd-scouter]

The magic of Scouting! Yes, I've felt it. I felt it early on in the Cub years. Started in 1st grade Tigers with older son. Continued serving a dual role in Cubs/Boys with older son in Boy Scouts and younger son just starting Cubs.

 

That's when Scouting began to lose its magic for me. I was Cubmaster for younger son's Pack, Advancement Chair for older son's Troop, District Training Chair, Cub Resident Camp Director and, like many others, felt that if I gave up something the Scouting World around me would come crashing down.

 

What hubris! Now, settling into my role as SM and leaving all other leadership duties to others, I get to feel the magic again. Oh yes, I've had ups and downs along the way. But the downs just make the ups that much more....magic.

 

At last week's meeting, I saw a Scout who has never really shown much enthusiasm participate in the Troop's tent pitching competition. He grudingly began to participate. He saw that the Patrol Leader was having trouble with one of our new and more defiant Scouts. He took the defiant one aside and said, "Let's get this tent put up." Somehow, trying to get the new Scout to work with him gave the older Scout a sense of leadership. He came alive. "Let's go," he shouted, "we have to get ours up before those other guys." When he and new Scout succeeded, he yelled, "Yeah, that's what I'm talking' about!" High fives between them, gloating ensued. A bonding moment.

 

He noticed some of the tents were missing parts. He asked if he should get the other tents out of the back of my car and set them up too in case they had missing parts. This led to another Scout getting paper and all the Scouts taking inventory of the tents. Then, they got the great idea of rather than having a bunch of tents each with some piece missing, they would sort of strip mine a few to make more complete sets and write down what was needed to complete the remaining tents.

 

Never a word from me. Now, that's magic!