Last Den Meeting, Training, Jungle Jim’s

Last Den Meeting

My AOLs will cross over this coming up Sunday, which means they officially leave the Pack and join a Troop. I will be graduating 12 of them and am effectively replenishing the ranks of our local BSA Unit. It’s been an amazing six years watching these little guys grow up and mature. It will be even more interesting watching them grow with the Troop also. I am one part saddened but also one part relieved in their crossing over. Cub Scout leadership is an intense process given that parents are responsible for doing much more. In Cub Scouts you plan their achievements, camping trips, and outings while all at the same time making it interesting so they want to come back. It is not easy, especially given how Scouting changed its program at the last minute and doesn’t provide many resources anymore. You are really on your own.

The hardest part of scouting for me was several years ago when it was post-COVID. I was a den leader, Cubmaster, and then defacto treasurer, Achievement Chair, Membership Chair, and Pack Committee chair. All at the time the pack was doubling in size. The entire leadership tradition, save for one or two who would become trusted advisors disappeared from that one year layover. Council didn’t seem to be of any help either and experienced at least one mass resignation that I could tell, so we were on our own. Things were so bad that I had to use a vacation day just to balance their checking book and get their finances in order because things were such a mess. I did what needed to be done and asked for help and some talented leaders stepped up and helped out. I am transitioning out of the Pack having left it stronger and better than what I found it and that is all I can accomplish for them. I do have a son, Ben, in the Pack still but there are two den leaders for his group. I will also help with Ted in his Scouting adventure at the Troop, but I’ve told them I don’t foresee me taking a leadership position. I have found that if you come in willing to help instead of picking up the slack everyone decides to quit instead because it’s “somebody else’s turn.” Truth is if your kid is in there you have a duty to see it all the way through. I am able to use the excuse that I have one kid in each group so I can’t commit to anything too much. I am willing to help specifically with merit badges, which means helping kids get their achievements, in fields that I am familiar with. Although I learned so much about leadership, working with others of all ages, having to navigate a large volunteer based organization, and a lot of personal growth I need a break so I can focus on other things. I’m not trying to have nightly phone calls trying to figure out why a Scout’s membership didn’t go through or deal with two leaders who aren’t getting along or get on everyone to get their training in.

Overall though I am thankful for time as a leader. I didn’t realize how far it would take me. I am now comfortable speaking in front of large groups. I can communicate effectively with people by using plain and straightforward talk. If you want to learn how to get yourself across work with children. you will learn really fast how esoteric speech or thinking aloud confuses people. I am thankful for Wood Badge training, which at first I thought was a joke until I went to it. It was the most intense, in depth leadership training I’ve even been involved in. Five days of intense group work and character development is not what I expected. I came away from that with an entirely new perspective about mission and collaboration. I also learned about culture building. Something I embrace is doing things at a very high level and not taking excuses. That is something I learned in my current role working with the old partners that ran the firm when I first started. I saw that influencing other leaders I was developing and I’ve been told they’ve used it in their own professional endeavors to take leadership roles that they wouldn’t have applied for before either.

Training

I’m starting to see significant improvements in my physique from my upgraded nutrition and training regiment. For nutrition I am taking protein supplements. I stopped taking them several months ago to help lose weight and noticed I lifted less heavy and lost some gains. It is just too difficult to eat the amount of protein you need if you want to put muscle on, especially in middle aged, without whey. For working out I’ve doubled the time I spend in the gym really as an attempt to reduce how many times I need to go to the gym. I did not enjoy getting up every morning to work out for 30 minutes, especially when it is cold outside. I decided to do two sessions only at my local gym, which turned into 120 minutes each. Then I added two swim days, where I swim for 60 minutes. I try to take three days off a week to recover because the swimming really wears me out. I like to work out at 5:00 AM for lifting and 5:30 for swimming. I need to get to bed on time, so I’ve started limiting my iPhone exposure at night and then getting to bed on time. As you can imagine this type of discipline requires giving up a few things, namely alcohol, which in my opinion serves no real purpose other than to disrupt sleep.

Currently my routine is shedding a pound after every weight training sessions and then up to two pounds after a swimming session.

Jungle Jim’s

I had a long week at work and really needed to get out of the house but didn’t have any takers. I wasn’t stoked about having to work on Monday when everyone had the day off then and needed something to do. I volunteered to go grocery shopping on the condition that it was Jungle Jim’s. I went alone because nobody wanted to go with me. That is fine. The first place I went was Just The Noods, one of my favorite restaurants up there. I had a huge bowl of beef pho with a brown sugar boba tea. I then went through Jungle Jim’s and it was so awesome not being bothered by anyone. Usually someone wants to know when we’re leaving and if we an speed it up. No, I want to look at stuff and read labels. I got everything I needed to get and brought a ton of treats back home for everyone to enjoy.