Lost and Found

Another Eagle was recognized last month. I took his fire piston gift along on spring break so I'd get some more whittling done on it. When I got home, it was nowhere to be found. Oh great, it's sitting someplace between here and Switzerland!

I searched everywhere and was nearly resigned to start a new one for him, but I was sure I had packed it for the trip home. The next day, I was gathering my gear for our campout - sleeping bag, pad, pants, hat, boots. Huh, what's that in my boot? Yep, I shoved the fire starter in there so no space was wasted in packing. :-)
Well, that saved me a few blisters of extra knife work.

They say, "It's always in the last place you look." Of course, once you find it, you stop looking. But, there's two reasons it might not be in the last place you look:

1. You get greedy and hope to find more of it so you keep looking, but there isn't any more.
2. You give up without finding it.

I think we reach both those endpoints often.

We have a success and instead of being satisfied, we try to get more - whether that's money, recognition, awards, high score, or whatever the treasure is that interests us. That's ok as long as we realize that our last attempt will probably be a failure. Very few people actually "go out on top", stop participating when they are in their top form.

Giving up without finding it is more common, I think. Rather than persevering to figure out a great solution, we might do just enough to get something working. Instead of working on that flint-n-steel until finally catching a spark and coaxing the ember to flame, we say that's too much work and not really a needed skill. If the answer, or skill, or reward is not immediately and obviously obtainable, we move on to some other interest.

Perseverence isn't in the Scout Law, but it certainly is necessary to be successful.

Scout On