If you know me, then you've probably heard me tell a story, as I often like to do. If you've heard me tell a story, then you know that many of my stories begin with one of my signature phrases, "Back when I was in Boy Scouts..." The following is one such story. Rich details, intense development, and great depth... will not be found in this story, because this isn't that kind of story. This is no tale of danger, peril, or even the slightest suspense at all. There is nothing very engaging about the story at all, to be honest, because like I said this isn't that kind of story.

This is a story of a time back when I was in Boy Scouts...

Back when I was in Boy Scouts, I couldn't be more excited to share my new adventures with some of my closest friends! Unfortunately for me, a good portion of my friends had little to no interest in scouting at all. One friend in particular was very adamant about his refusal to join Scouts. "All you do is sit around and tie knots all day!" he would say -- a truly ridiculous notion, as anyone involved in scouting could tell you. "There's so much more to Scouts!" I would say. But he would have none of it. Despite his resolve, I continued to press him, because I was sure eventually he would crack. You see, I only ever saw my friend at church, so every Sunday and Wednesday I would regale him with stories of the journeys I would go on in each Scout meeting and impress him with all of my new skills. But week after week he would say the same thing: "All you do is sit around and tie knots all day!" And week after week my frustration grew. The more I pushed, the more he swore by his grossly inaccurate statement. I eventually gave in after about a full year of inviting him to my troop. He was just too blinded by his hatred for knots and all things fun.

However against Scouts my friend was, his older brother was actually kind of interested. So after a quick conversation with my brother, my friend's brother was all on board for a quick visit to one of our Troop's weekly meetings. This was it! Finally, I'd have definitive proof against my friend's outlandish claims. Everything started off without a hitch. My friend's brother met the boys in the troop and they all seemed to hit it off. One of the dads told him about an upcoming canoe trip we were planning. The pieces began to fall into place. Soon, both my friend and his brother would be sitting around the campfire, laughing with the rest of us. All that was left was for my friend's brother to meet the Scoutmaster, who was oddly late to the meeting. All the boys sat in the meeting room. Having concluding the opening flag ceremony, the meeting was set to begin; all that was missing was, again, the Scoutmaster. Where could he be? It's all we could think about. Why was he late? These thoughts swiftly exited our minds as the meeting room door swung open to our Scoutmaster walking in with a big cardboard box. He ripped the box open to reveal one of the most horrifying sights I have ever seen. Before anyone could say a word, the Scoutmaster shouted "Knot tying contest!" My world was blown into pieces. My friend's brother looked visually disturbed at the sight of the twine filled box. To be honest, I can't say that I blame him.

So, yeah... my friend never joined Scouts. Why did I tell you this story? Well, to be honest, it's just to show that Boy Scouts was a really big part of my life once, and it has been for boys all across this country. The BSA and organizations like it have dedicated themselves to the teaching of valuable life skills to America's young men: skills such as First Aid, cooking, camping, and yes -- even knot tying. I'll forever be thankful for the many years I spent with the BSA, working towards that prestigious Eagle Scout Rank. I am forever proud to be an Eagle Scout, like my brother and my father before me! Back when I was in Boy Scouts, I was proud to call myself a Scout, and I still am to this day!