Nolan Life Scout
I had a very embarrassing moment while serving as a member of a Boy Scout Committee. One of our responsibilities was to meet with boys who were going up for rank advancement. After meeting certain requirements the boys were called in and asked several questions to see if they were ready to advance to the next level. Even though I was on the scout committee I actually knew very little about scouts. On the night our second son Nolan was to appear before our committee I had to leave early. I reminded him to make sure he got his scout uniform on and to make sure his mom had him to his review at the scheduled time. Right before I left he came in and told me that he couldn’t find his scout uniform and thought someone had stolen it. I told him that I was fairly certain that no one had broken into our house to steal his scout uniform and to go find it and to be on time.
Later when his time came, Nolan walked in with what looked to be his older brothers scout shirt on. I was certain but he also looked to be wearing sash with all of his brothers merit badges on it. As soon as he sat down, the questioning began from our scout committee chairman who was a retired former marine sergeant. .
His first question was, “Nolan, what are the three rivers in the Three Rivers Council? I thought surely he would know the Neches, Sabine and Trinity Rivers since they were located closest to our home. No such luck! He got the Neches right, but he couldn’t remember the other two. I was a little embarrassed since I knew that the fathers of the parents of the boys were supposed to have their sons ready for the reviews.
Next he was asked what the scout motto was. After a long pause Nolan said that he always got that confused with the scout law. I could feel my face turning red. I hoped he would not be asked the next obvious question, but no such luck. The committee chairman said, “O.K., what is the scout law?” As I figured, Nolan said he always got that mixed up with the scout motto. I found myself looking down and saying a little prayer for him to do better on the next questions but actually got worse.
He was asked to tell about several of the merit badges he was wearing. A typical answer was, “I got that one a long time ago and I can’t remember it.” I felt like crawling under the table but knew I couldn’t. The thing that got to me was that Nolan didn’t seem one bit embarrassed or even uncomfortable with his lack of knowledge. I was so embarrassed because it was as if I was the one up there since I hadn’t prepared him. In reality I think the only question I could answer with absurdity that night was the three rivers in the council name. One thing was obvious and that was that neither Nolan nor his parents had done one thing to prepare for his big night.
At one point he was asked about a merit badge that simply had a fingerprint on the patch. Surely he can’t possibly miss this one even if it is his brothers. He replied that it was the fingerprinting merit badge. I was pleased. Once a scout was asked about a merit badge they were expected to tell what they had learned while obtaining it. Nolan said that a policeman had come and took their finger prints. The chairman asked if he had anything else to say about that experience but he said “that’s about it!” Many times during the grilling I had my hands over my face and could feel my face burning with embarrassment. I could hear another committee member and family friend who sitting beside me giggling off and on during the grilling.
Finally he was asked what scouting had done for him. He gave a very brief summary that wasn’t all that bad. Then he was asked: “Nolan is there any reason why you should be advanced to the office of a Life Scout?” He didn’t hesitate at all and said, “Yes!” The chairman what was his reason for feeling justified in being advanced. I think at that point everyone in the room looked up to see what he would next. He said, “Well I knew more than I thought I would.” At that point I think everyone in the room burst into laughter. It took me quite a while to think it was fun. A few years later Nolan earned his Eagle Scout award. Was he a great scout? I think you know the answer to that. How did he get the award? Nolan had one quality that helped him greatly and will help all of us if we will do it. His secret was that he was always where he was supposed to be. I have learned that good things happen when you are always where you are supposed to be. Most success in life is just showing up and sticking to a task
