Boy Scout Troop 325
Scoutmaster Minute
I'm a Scout - How Can I Help?
September 12, 2006
Larry Polyak, Scoutmaster

A month or so ago I was in the Orchard Supply hardware store. It was about 5 minutes before they closed and I was in a hurry to buy something so I could finish up a plumbing project at home. As I was checking out, I noticed a couple of employees putting up a display and they were struggling with tying a knot. One of them jokingly yelled out "Is there a Boy Scout in the house?" and they both laughed.

I didn't stay and help and it really wasn't a big deal, but I wished I did. I wonder if one of you were there, would you have offered to help? Do you have enough confidence in your knot-tying ability to offer assistance? For most of you I'll bet the answer is "No.". And this is what inspired me to suggest to the PLC that we have a "knot of the month" for the next several months - so that we really learn some of these basic scout skills and not just do it once, get it signed off then forget about it. We learn by practicing a skill over and over. Knot tying, and more importantly basic First Aid, are skills that scouts are expected to have. And they are skills we can use for ourselves and to help others.

By learning and practicing these skills, I hope that over time, and in a similar situation, you would proudly step up and say "I'm a Scout. How can I help?".

Thanks for listening.