Strange and Special Places
Yesterday, I was invited into a CPS (Chicago Public School) by an awesomely pro-Scout principle to talk about a “strange and/or special place” I had been, the topic of their reading class this week. The reason for this, is that we are trying to start a troop near the school, and though a CPS can not charter a Scout Troop, they can let us talk to the youth if they so choose (they may also be legally obligated if they let other organizations in to talk or flyer), but I digress.
Boy Talks, as they are called in the biz, are a big part of the job. Going into a school to talk to kids anywhere from 1st- 8th grade, though usually 1st-5th. Typically, I loathe these days. Don’t get me wrong, I love Scouting, I love talking Scouting, but something about bouncing from classroom-to-classroom day-after-day is just… annoying.
It can be fun, though. 1st through 3rd are usually fun, energetic kids who are stoked at the mention of a BB Gun. 4th grade is usually okay, BB Guns still get’em, but camping and sports are a bit more of a hot-button for them, but they remain more stoic and reserved (in 4th grade standards, at least). By 5th grade though, they are way too cool to listen to a Boy Scout.
The Sexy Hand-Near-Mouth Pose was Actually an Itchy-Nose Induced Accident
This particular talk though, was to a class of usually too-cool-for-school 6th graders… Truly a dreaded group, indeed. But this group was different. For starters, it was a boys only reading class… No girls. No hot ladies to impress with there manly 6th grade ways. The next cool thing, is that they were (mostly) low-income city kids. The idea of leaving the city and spending a night in the woods was foreign and intriguing. According to the principal, most nights and weekends for this kids involved playing on the street while their parents sat on the school or house/apartment stoop and drink beer. Scouting is a great opportunity for these kids; and they ate it up.
It’s amazing the looks you get while walking through inner-city Chicago in a backpacking pack loaded to the brim with camping supplies. That was kinda fun. We’ve tried before to get these kids to come out to no avail, but hopefully this time will be different. All we can do is try I suppose, but there is a really good guy who is a Scoutmaster just waiting for kids to show up…
Winking Owl and Wilco - Friday Night
So here we are, Friday night. This has been a weird week for me… I’m feeling restless, and a bit listless. I don’t like that. I need something to kick my ass, to get me moving. I need a change, I feel like I’m not living up to what I should be. That’s a sucky feeling.
On the other hand, I’ve been pretty grateful for what I have. I have been very fortunate throughout my life. Yes I have a rough time making it through my bills every month, but at the end of the day, we get get by. I have a great apartment, in a great neighborhood, in what I truly feel is the best city in the world. I have a remarkable wife and a handful of great friends. I have a job; that alone is enough to make too many Americans jealous at this point in our history.
The world is crumbling all around. Rome is burning, yet I still stand. Mildly poor. Very anxious. A little bit angry. But I still stand.
The effects that this wrecked economy will have on me and my family is yet to be seen, but for now I survive. I just need to find something to stop my anxiety.
To be continued…(?)
