| Procrastination vs. Be[ing] Prepared |
With the turning of the year, the opportunity to earn one of the four retired BSA 2010 Merit Badge has come and gone. Working on a badge with my son and with five other boys on December 31st reminds me of the Boy Scout Motto: Be Prepared.
Obviously this is something they still have to learn. :)
So what is “being prepared”? Does it mean always having the answer and having no mistakes or forgotten things? No.
Being prepared means planning and thinking things out. In the case of the BSA 2010 Merit Badges it would include scheduling, pre reading the requirements, contingency plans (what to do if it rains your day out of if you get sick) and making sure you have all the items needed.
When I look back to the 6 boys that were working on the badge on the 31st, I noticed a few things:
* 2 of the boys wore shorts, when it was cold and we were walking in the brushy forest – yikes!
* 1 of the boys work crocks - not the rubber soled shoes needed
* 2 of the boys did not have coats in the 40 - 50 degree weather
* 1 of the boys did not have a warm enough coat
There were some great things, such as:
* one of the boys brought a snack for the 5 hour event
* some of the boys brought pens or pencils to write with
* some of the boys brought cameras to take the required pictures
While we are not all perfect, being prepared is a something that we can all strive for. It simply means we will have the best time possible and avoid danger (exposure) if we just spend a few minutes if planning.
I can remember when I was a child, sure I was not always prepared but eventually I learned the value of preparation -- and that is what scouting is all about learning values along the way.
Submitted by: ksaye on Jan 02 2011
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