The majority of the country’s children participate in Girl or Boy Scouts during some point of their existence. However, few stick to it past freshman year of high school, usually out of fear of social suicide. For those that do continue throughout their years in Scouts, they have an opportunity to achieve an extremely high honor—an Eagle Scout. My own boyfriend, New Jersey born and bred, was the first Eagle Scout I had ever met.
Being involved with somebody who is significantly more nature-and-survival savvy than you can be somewhat of a cross to bear. Although his constant survival tips and wild animal fun facts may drive me up the wall at times, I’m confident that we would last a good six months in the zombie apocalypse. For those of you ignorant to my struggle as the girlfriend of an Eagle Scout, allow me to enlighten you with some pros and cons of a life with a survivalist.
Pro—You’ll never leave the house not appropriately dressed for the weather, because proper layering is imperative when avoiding hypothermia.
Con—Be prepared to hear more hiking tales than you thought were physically possible.
Pro—Long, pretty walks through beautiful scenic places become rather educational, because your Eagle Scout significant other can tell you about every species of bird you may encounter on your journey.
Con—They know every species of bird.
Pro—You’ll experience some of the most beautiful sceneries by their side, so get your camera ready.
Con—All Eagle Scouts consider themselves experts in geography. All of them.
Pro—Fire pit gatherings become much less of a hassle, since the trained Eagle Scout will always take charge of managing the fire, they might even enjoy it a little.
Con—They may try to teach you how to tend the fire, no matter the lack of interest you portray to them. “I just want you to be able to survive, babe.”
Pro—A power outage isn’t the most inconvenient thing ever because your Eagle Scout will surely manage some kind of food or amenity with the lack of power, should you be in an environment where you could potentially starve.
Con—“Hey babe, I just skinned this raw fish and cooked it over a fire in the backyard for a bit…pass the salt please…its dead, I promise.”
Pro—They can safely and efficiently handle firearms and other weapons.
Con—They pressure you to learn now to safely use firearms and weapons. “Babe I want us to be that badass couple.”
Pro—They can usually fix and/or build just about everything and anything.
Con—You’ll get REALLY sick of hearing “don’t worry, I have a merit badge for this.”
Pro—They can definitely protect you from most kinds of wild animals.
Con—They might mount the head of said wild animal on the wall of your home.
Pro—You can totally survive any kind of crisis situation as long as they’re by your side.
Con—They may accidentally order you around in said situation, but please understand that they’re just trying to keep you from dying a horrible death.
Pro—I promise that you will feel completely safe with them, no matter the proximity, situation or risks.
The truth? Yes of course the items listed above can get annoying. But in reality, being an Eagle Scout is an incredible honor, and testament to an individual’s skills. My boyfriend is an Eagle Scout, and I would trust him with my life in all and any type of situation. Earning the status of Eagle Scout is no small feat, and those that actually accomplish it are extremely few and far between. I’m entirely proud of my boyfriend and all that he has accomplished long before we event met. I’m proud of his past, I’m proud of his present, and I’m already proud of his future, because I know he’ll do great things. After all, he is an Eagle Scout.
