Getting old and feeble

[Trevorum]

I just re-chartered tonight for 2010 and realized I'm getting old and feeble (for real). This is the first time in 15 years I haven't had a son in the program. Home from the meeting, I mentioned that to my beautiful bride and she did a double take: "Oh, no. Don't you even think about it!"

 

Ah. well. There are lots of other young fellows still in the program who I can help.

[infoscouter]

I must have been old and feeble for about 12 years now. I haven't had a son in the program for about that long. However, we recently signed our youngest up for a special needs Crew, so I am now a committee member in a Pack and Troop and a Crew. What WAS I thinking.

[Eagle92]

I must have been old and feeble for the past 17 years as I just now have a child in Scouting Seriously though a few things to remember

 

1) BP was 50 when he started Scouting, and yes he put those 'young punks" through their paces!

 

2) As a British Scouter once told me "Youa re only as old as you think you are.

 

HMM thinking about #2 above, "I'm only 3 1/2 years old"

 

[BDPT00]

I didn't really have a comment on the subject, but I looked in on it because of the title. It just reminded me that many people don't know the words to the song. I'm assuming that's where the subject line came from.

I thought Mrs Trevorum's line was priceless.

My youngest is now 27, so I fall into the same category. As long as we stay up to date on the latest training, we're a huge asset to Scouting. If we allow ourseves to become too entrenched in our own rut we become a liability.

BDPT00

[John-in-KC]

EagleSon will recharter in his Crew as a youth member, and under Venturings rules will remain a youth member to next recharter, but after that, he's an adult... through and through.

[Stosh]

I haven't had a son in scouting now for about 15 years and old and feeble has been creeping in for some time now.

 

Good thing you're only as old as you feel rather than as old as people say you act.

 

It's really a bummer when you have to give up the 17' aluminum canoe because you can't muscle it down the rapids anymore. Now I have a 13' plastic kayak and the first thing I thought of when I took it down the rapids was: "I should have gotten "older" a long time ago!" I'm good to go now for another 10 years.

 

I don't know if I could ever survive a Philmont trek (first time I went I was 50 years old), but I can still get out there and do the summer camp and weekend things.

 

Stosh

[packsaddle]

Stosh, I have a really nice kayak and I still keep thinking wistfully about my old wood and canvas canoe. Wouldn't take it on anything other than flatwater though.

 

I've been old and feeble ever since my children were old enough to tell me so. I used to think about it fairly often but I've reconciled with fate. And I can still free dive deeper than any of the boys. Outrun a few of them as well. And I'm far more willing to endure attacks of bad weather on backpack trips. I'll take what I can get.

[BadenP]

Hey Trev

 

One of the greatest volunteers in my district when I was a DE was an 75 year old man who had more energy, enthusiasm and love of scouting than anyone else I have ever met. The kids and adults all loved him and all the knowledge he had, as well as over 50 years of service to scouting. And he was active until the very end. When he passed away he had a scout honor guard of over 100 scouts, and a huge turnout of former and current scouters. He was buried in his scout uniform which held all of the awards given to him for all of his years of service. He proved to me you're never too old to contribute to scouting.

[SR540Beaver]

BadenP's post reminded me that all of those awards and patches that the uniform minimalists poo-poo do indeed come in handy at some point in life....or death.

[GKlose]

I keep bumping into a scouter at council events, most recently on staff at WB. He's kind of a like a "go to" guy for the council and always shows up -- I think he's officially a council commissioner at the moment. He had lunch with my patrol on the next to last day of WB, and he told us stories about collecting metal and grease as a Scout during WWII. I asked, and he said that he's been in the program for "only about 40 years", but that's because he was away for a time after his son had aged out.

 

I put his age at 75, minimum, but he looks like maybe 65 or so.

[NE-IV-88-Beaver]

Ahhhhhhhhhhh......to look back to when I was just old and feeble, what I now call the good old days!!!

[JoeBob]

I'm old, 55, but with a Bear Cub Scout in the house; I can't let myself get feeble.

(It took me a while to find a mate that would tolerate me...)

Old is mostly in the mind. Feeble can be kept at bay with exercise and Ibuprofen.

[moxieman]

I'm not as old as some who have responded, but since I've never had a son in the program in the 21 years I've served as a leader, I guess I fit the same definition.

 

[jr56]

Well, my son I still registered, as an adult leader, so I guess I'm not old and feeble quite yet. Happy Holidays to all.