Another year and scouting

In a week that saw my birthday as mentioned on the main blog, it is I feel incumbent to talk about how scouting and the spirit of being a cub scout is helping my life.

When I first looked at this subject, the first things that came into my mind was how I felt about missing out on what my siblings did because my parents did not care to enquire about me joining the local pack.
It was smoldering anger about something that my own difficulties aside and to which in the intervening years had learnt they could of coped with, that apart from providing boyish companionship while having fun also had the potential to teach me 'life skills' that no one else did that would of helped me be more independent and intergrated.

Taking a step back from that, I asked myself "If I met an Akela or Skip and said how I felt about this, then what would they of said?" and I came around to the conclusion they'd of and would encourage engaging in the sorts of activity I would of done then  and certainly not to wallow in self pity.

An expression of the difference hasn't just been in solo exploration and challenge but also in the time I was away being supported in undertaking hikes, helped to climber up to castles on hills one hand at a time.

I actually did things I never ever did in my life before, fighting my own nerves and conditioning developing more resilience too.

A year on and scouting is what this boy needed, got and benefited from,