Those that have gone on hikes with me know that sometimes I like to just stop and listen. Focus in on just one sound. It might be a the wind passing through the trees. It might be the sound of water as it flows down a stream. Or it might be listening to just how quiet nature can be.
One sound I like to hear is crickets. Crickets are neat animals. They’re only an inch long yet they can be heard throughout the forest by rubbing their front wings together. If we can just stop for a minute I think we can hear them. You can tell the temperature by listening to crickets. On warm nights, they chirp faster than on cold nights. I’ve heard that if you count the number of chirps in 14 seconds and add 40 to it you’ll get the temperature.
I like to think about why crickets chirp. It’s their way of saying “here I am”. Like crickets, each one of us has ways of saying “here I am”. Some say it through sports, some in music, some in reading, some in art. One way we all say “here I am” is through Scouting.
When you wear your uniform you are showing everyone that you believe that it’s important to be a good person. I think the best way to say “here I am” is by working hard, by being kind to others, and by being happy. As you move on through life you will always look back on these days and remember the times that we’re having together. As you grow older I would like you to stop and listen every once in a while. Maybe on a summer night as your laying in bed waiting to fall asleep. With a cool night breeze coming in your window. Listen, and you just might here a cricket. And you’ll remember all of the special times with your friends, your family, and these very special times as a Scout in Pack 381.