cubs.

you'd have to be nuts to want to be a cub-scout den leader.
so, naturally, i love it.
the boys are loud and a little embarrassing.

they harass nature right after we go over leave no trace principles.

they've all got hollow legs.

but they do things that surprise me.

small, sweet, acts that grant glimpses of the men they're becoming.

yeah, they pick up dead stuff.

but they are good boys.

soon they will face the world of adolescence. many will get lost, then, especially those who have less family support. they might stop coming to scouts, stop taking joy in ducklings and roly-polies and dead fish. they might feel not-so-light, not-so-innocent.

i hope they can keep these memories and the feelings of blissful childhood shenanigans.

and i hope they find ways to recapture that boyish goodness in their manhood.