Scoutmaster Minute, 25 October 2022

My dad used to say, "can't never did anything" and I hated to hear it. Like many, I was born to a body less than perfect. Born premature, I spent much of the first year of my life in and out of hospitals. My lungs were underdeveloped and my early childhood was marked with bouts of asthma. Yes, my condition kept me from doing some things, but my handicap became a mental crutch. I lacked the drive to attempt because I was sure of failure. My father did not support my defeatist attitude. So, with regular and needed goading, I attempted things that I was sure that were not possible. Sometimes I failed. Sometimes I partially achieved. Yet sometimes, to my amazement, I completed the task. I thank my father for not allowing me to wallow in self pity. Later I outgrew the asthma and lettered in both cross country and track in high school. I have to believe that all that hiking in Scouts helped out.

When a muscle is stressed, it tears and rebuilds into a bigger muscle. When the mind is challenged, it grows and learns. I challenge you to not sell yourself short and do not let your mind talk you out of your potential. Turn "can't" into "can do."

A Scout is Brave.

Scoutmaster Minute – 11 October 2022

Among our paramount tasks as Scouts is to care for the environment, and this is no small task these days. When looking for a nearby example of humans' negative impact on the environment, it is hard to find a better example than that of Elm Island on the Potomac, where we spent the recent Survivor Island campout. Across the island, one could see a wide array of washed up flotsam and jetsam, with most of it being plastics. When using that term, 'flotsam and jetsam', it is interesting to look at the meaning. "Flotsam" is debris in the water that was not deliberately thrown overboard, often as a result from a shipwreck or accident. "Jetsam" is debris that was deliberately thrown overboard by a crew of a ship in distress, most often to lighten the ship's load. Jetsam is also garbage that is thrown overboard by careless boaters. A good amount of junk on the island came downstream from activities on land. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association states that the "majority of the trash and debris that covers our beaches and floats in our ocean comes from storm drains and sewers, as well as from shoreline and recreational activities such as picnicking and beach going."

We should endeavor to make our conduct an example and therefore limit both accidental and intentional pollution to land and waterways. We must also help educate others so they understand the long-term impacts to our environment when it comes to improper disposal of garbage. Likewise, we should seek to limit single-use plastics and ensure that we recycle what is recyclable in our communities. Lastly, we should leverage reusable containers whenever possible, like metal or BPA-free water bottles instead of single-use water bottles.

We have one Earth, let's make it last.

A Scout is Thrifty. A Scout is Kind.

Scoutmaster Minute, 04 October 2022

A long, long, long time ago, when I was a teenager, I worked a part time job at a Burger King on the weekends. I remember that this particular Burger King was always busy on weekends as it was just down the street from Pitt Stadium and we always got slammed after the Saturday football games.

I always looked forward to a break in the action where me and my coworkers could take a break from the craziness. I remember the manager yelling at us to get back to work, and clean our stations. The manager would tell us, "if there is time to lean, then there is time to clean". We were getting paid to work, not socialize on the job.

If you looked at the situation from my bosses perspective, how would you feel if you walked into your business and saw your employees sitting around, texting, or playing games on your dime? You would probably not be too happy. I'd wonder, why am I paying these employees?

We learn the importance of following through on a job, completing assignments, and being responsible early on in the troop through the patrol method. Just the same as most business organizations, everyone reports to someone in the patrol. We practiced this while at camp. In our troop, each patrol has different duties each day. Someone needs to prep, cook, and clean up meals along with fire duty, camp cleanliness, and all the other various assignments needed for a successful camp. If one, or all neglect to complete their assignments, it has the possibility of causing a ripple effect to the next individual or patrol who is assigned next.

As we practice within our patrols, we are preparing ourselves for when it is time to work at a job. It doesn't matter what the job is. It could be anything from flipping burgers, mowing lawns, tending kids, or picking up trash. Make sure to take pride and ownership in your job and do the best that you can as you implement the Scout Law into your daily work activities.

Your boss trusts you to do the work for which you were hired.

Mike Rowe, from "Dirty Jobs", once said on the importance of work ethic, "work ethic is important because, unlike intelligence, athleticism, charisma or any other natural attribute, it's a choice".

A Scout is Trustworthy