Boy Scouts...lessons learned past and present.

The boys finally completed a week of full on cub scout day camp. It's intense- 8:00am to 3:30pm in the Southern June heat. I was proud of them for making it through each day without complaining. And to make sure we didn't win the parents of the year award we insisted they participate in their swim team practice each day after camp for an hour (don't worry I gave them a snack before they had to leave). =)

I made a point to volunteer one day after hearing a plea for help from those in charge. It was that one day of walking around with 17-7 year old boys shooting bows and arrows and b.b. guns, playing kick ball, and hammering a 'box' (don't quite know it's purpose but hey, a boy can fill a box with just about anything under his bed) that made me walk down memory lane of my own boy scout experience almost 11 years ago. I thought I would share some memories and lessons learned.

I was fresh out of Wesleyan College - a women's liberal arts college in Macon, Georgia. I was also getting married that summer to my sweet heart and best friend back home in the country fields of Curve, TN. (no, literally we got married in a field out by my parents' house in the midst of my mother's flower gardens and a semi-hidden tractor shed). But I did look like Cinderella and I did make my grooms' men wear tuxedos in that 100 degree heat and humidity.

So I needed a job - I had a husband to support now...hee hee! (He was finishing up his degree at MTSU - where he teaches now - and working part time at the airport). We moved into the married student housing on campus - a quaint little two room cinder block apartment on campus. Did I mention I needed a job?

I was overqualified to do some things and under qualified to do most. But then I found it. It was in my field - nonprofit - and it had an outdoorsy type aura about it - I wanted to be a Boy Scouts of America District Executive. I think the title District Executive is what drew me in. It sounded so...so, important as I sat in my cinder block apartment and sipped cold sweet tea out of my new crystal wedding high ball glass and counted pennies in our checking account. Oh, and it paid a lot! Well, a whole $30,000 a year lot - which after making a career out of babysitting for the past four years and free internships I thought I had hit the jack pot.

Little did I realize when I put all my pennies into that scouting basket career would I have to prove my self worthy for the next 3 years. I was the first female D.E. in my metropolitan city of Mufreesboro and to say I was not looked upon favorably by those old, white bearded, belly protruding, too tight uniform wearing scoutmasters would be an understatement of the century.

I grew thick skin - even if I did cry a lot on the way home from meetings in my scout owned Malibu and pray a lot - like my life depended on it- as I boldly marched my new L.L. Bean boots and horrifyingly ugly swamp green uniform shorts wearing body up to those campfires, making sure to greet each one of those old men with a sweet southern 21 year old "hey ya'll" and a firm handshake. (my daddy taught me well in the area of a good handshake)

I am proud to say I won them over. At least to my face they grew to like me. I earned their respect by not acting like I knew what I didn't but by being willing to learn what I needed to and stand up for what I did know. I cared about my volunteers. I believed in the cause we were working for. I figured out the game and I played it well for the short time I was there. It was a two sided game - one made up of those who were making a living off of scouting and the vast amount of money behind it and then there were the volunteers who it was a way of life for and who gave countless hours to the boys they were serving. I respected both groups...but now I have crossed over from the money making side to the serving side.

I am now full circle living back in the district that I earned my first paycheck and livelihood from. It was this same county where I raised thousands of dollars along side judges and doctors as well as cooked peach cobbler in a dutch oven beside red faced, country speaking retired marines. I have taken what I learned from that short stint of professionalism and used it to start other nonprofit organizations, rally volunteers, raise money and train leaders. I have also taken the skills I was challenged to learn from sleeping under the stars, keeping my composure under prejudice and unwarranted pressure, and a love for the unbridled enthusiasm little boys have for the outdoors and used it in my life post-scouting.

As I stand beside my young boys and give the two fingered salute to the flag, sweating in the hot sun as I help them pull back the bow and balance the arrow as it haphazardly flies through the air and bounces off the target, and help teach them to respect others and themselves as a true scout does, I hide in my heart the lessons I learned from the boy scouts eleven years ago as a pioneer woman in the scouting career. I am proud of myself and now I am proud of my boys too.