have been in Boy Scouts since I was six years old, and have had many goals for myself in scouting. When I was a cub, I wanted to earn the Arrow of Light and the Twentier Badge, the top two awards a Cub can earn. After five years, I accomplished these goals, along with earning the God and Country medal and a few trophies from the Pinewood Derby.
At the end of fifth grade, I moved onto the troop level. After a few years in 709, I switched to Troop 450. I have been with 450 since, and have watched people come and go. When I entered troop life, I set a new goal for myself: to be the first Eagle scout in my family.
To achieve the rank of Eagle, one has to earn 21 merit badges, with 12 of them being required for the rank. I started out strong in this category, earning badge after badge, as many as I possibly could. I slowed down after a couple of years, earning the rank of first class. After that, I became more of a mentor to the younger scouts, helping them attain what they desired.
A couple of years ago, it hit me: time is running out. I worked to finish up badges that I needed to get to the rank of Life Scout, just one step below my goal.
To be able to get Eagle, you must have all the needed badges, be in a leadership position within the troop for at least 6 months as a Life, and complete an Eagle project, which is probably one of the most time consuming requirements, all before you turn 18.
In October of 2012, I found a possible project through a family friend. After two months of planning, the project fell through due to loss of communication with the project beneficiary. It took a couple weeks, but I finally found another, and it seems to be coming together quite well.
Around the beginning of January, I got with the Westlink Public Library and have decided to build a couple of benches there. I have had this okayed by the Library for awhile now, but I just keep running into more and more complications. Remember how I said this had to be done before I turn 18? My birthday is on April 18, which is less than one month away, and I still have yet to get it approved by my troop, much less the council, who need to approve it before anything can be done with it.
Now is definitely the time to panic. I am rushing to finish up everything and get people on my side It looks like I’ll have to pay about $1000 out of pocket, and I also have to get the materials. Yay! All sarcasm aside; I can’t believe how much six months could screw someone over.
