Cubmaster's/Scoutmaster's Minutes
A Cubmaster’s or Scoutmaster’s Minute is a traditional meeting ender. These are parting words of wisdom for your Scouts. They may be straight and to the point, but are often in the form of a story or fable with an important moral to the story.
It Is What You Make It
Props: None
Script:
There was once a village with a wise old man. It seemed that no matter what happened the wise old man always seemed to know how it happened or what would happen next. The wise old man was so good at figuring things out that many in the village believed that he was magic or that he could see the future. One day a cocky young man decided that he could outsmart the wise old man. He figured that if he could outsmart the wise old man that people from all around would be impressed with how clever he was. This way he could become famous and possibly rich. The young man walked up to the wise old man with his hands cupped together. He told the old man, “In my hands I have a bird. Since you are so wise and know so much, tell me if the bird in my hands is alive or dead.” The wise old man stood and thought for a minute, then said, “It doesn’t matter.” The young man laughed and said, “But you are supposed to know everything. All of a sudden when I give you a challenge you say it doesn’t matter. I guess this proves you aren’t as smart as people think.” The wise old man listened to the cocky young man and then spoke. “I say it doesn’t matter because no matter what I say you will make sure that I am wrong, so that you can make me look foolish. If I say the bird is dead you will open your hands and show everyone that the bird is alive. If I say the bird is alive you will quickly crush it and when you open your hands the bird will be dead. You see what I say doesn’t matter because it is what you make it.”
Scouts, it is important that we remember the words of the wise old man. “It is what you make it.” In life we always have that option. If you do bad on a test you can call yourself a failure, or you can think of ways to learn and study better for next time. If you run out of wood for your campfire you can say, “I’m never going camping again because it is too cold and dark.” You could also say, “Next time I need to make sure I have more wood.” Remember at every point in your life whether it seems good or not, “It is what you make it.”
George Washington's Servent Leadership
Props: None
Script:
During the Revolutionary War, then General, George Washington was riding his horse through an area where the troops were setting up camp. As he reviewed the troops he came upon a group of soldiers. These men were knee deep in the mud struggling to put a heavy beam in place that was needed for a shelter to be constructed. The men would slip and slide in the mud and drop the beam. All the while another man stood off to the side watching these men and shouting orders and critiques to the men in the mud. As General Washington rode up he asked the man what was going on. The man responded that they needed to set up the beam to help build a shelter, but that the mud was making the task extremely challenging. Washington asked the man why if they were struggling so much and still being unsuccessful why the man was not helping them. The man informed Washington that he was a Corporal and that it was not his job to do that work. He continued to tell Washington about how as the group’s leader it was his job to plan and direct. Washington nodded to show that he understood what the man was saying. He then dismounted from his horse and climbed into the mud to help the group of soldiers with the beam. After a few minutes they got the beam in place as needed. Washington got out of the mud, mounted his horse, and rode on continuing to review the other troops.
Many people think that the role of a leader is to direct while the role of their subordinates is to do the work. While there are times this is true, and times that delegating tasks is needed, a leader is never “too good” to do any work. Their jobs can be different but a real leader jumps in as needed and does what is needed to help the team be successful. In this story Washington was perfectly demonstrating the idea of servant leadership. His job, as a leader, was to make the team successful. He did not mind pitching and getting dirty when needed. Although his job often required him to use more brain power than muscle power he was happy to use his muscle power when that was what the team needed to be successful. A servant leader is a leader who serves others and gives of themselves for the betterment of the group.
The Starfish
Props: None
Script:
A man was walking along an ocean beach one hot summer day. In the distance, he saw a young boy who was doing a strange dance, bending over again and again. As he got closer, he saw that he was picking up starfish that had washed up on the shore and was throwing them back.
The man asked him, “Why are you throwing those starfish into the sea?”
He replied, “The tide is going out, the sun is hot, and if I don’t, they will die here.”
The man asked the boy why he was doing this since the beach was miles long and there were thousands of starfish and the few he threw back wouldn’t make any difference.
The boy paused with a starfish in his hand. He looked at it, then looked out at the ocean. Then, he tossed the starfish out and said, ‘Made a difference to that one.’
The Unknown Scout
Props: None
Script:
American businessman William Boyce lost his way while walking the foggy streets of London in 1909 when a boy offered to guide him to his destination. Boyce wanted to pay him for his good deed, but the boy politely refused. The boy explained that he was a Scout and that they do not accept money for doing good turns.
Eager to learn more, Mr. Boyce met with Robert Baden-Powell, founder of the Boy Scout movement in Great Britain. Boyce knew that boys in America would like the idea too, so he brought Scouting to the United States.
Shipwreck
Props: None
Script:
After a shipwreck, the lone survivor washed up onto a small deserted island. He thanked God for being alive and then prayed for rescue.
On the first day he managed to build a hut from palm fronds in which he stored the few possessions he had salvaged from the wreckage. He also made a fairly soft sleeping pad and found fruit and coconuts to eat. He built a small cooking fire pit in front of his hut and continued to pray for rescue.
A couple weeks into his hardship, while he was foraging for food, the wind suddenly picked up and became so strong it knocked a few trees down. When he returned to his hut, the survivor saw that the wind had blown coals on the dry fronds of his hut and burned it to the ground. All of his meager possessions were destroyed.
In anger and frustration, he cried, “God, how could you do this to me?”
A few hours later, as he was sitting in despair, a ship rounded the island and a rowboat came ashore to rescue him.
The man was ecstatic and asked, “How did you know I was here?”
They replied, “We saw your smoke signal.”
Flea in a Jar
Props: Jar (optional)
Scripts:
I’m sure you’ve heard of a flea circus. That’s where tiny little fleas are trained to perform amazing tricks. But they’re too small to really see, so its kind of silly.
But, people do supposedly catch fleas and train them. And, those people have observed a strange habit of fleas while training them.
Fleas can jump extremely high (that’s how they get from animal to animal) so when a flea is caught, it is put in a jar. Without a lid, it’s simple for the flea to escape by just popping right out of the jar. So, the flea trainer quickly puts a lid on the jar.
When the flea jumps, BANG, it hits the lid and falls down. Over and over, the flea will jump and BANG hit the lid. Until, after some time, you can see that the flea is jumping just almost to the lid, but not quite. It jumps and jumps, not quite hitting the top, but jumping as high as it can.
Now, that seems like a pretty smart flea to me. But, what’s strange is to see what happens when you take the lid off. The flea continues to jump just almost to where the lid was. It won’t jump any higher.
The flea hit a limit to what it could do. It decided that it could not go any higher and then never tried to improve. Even though the limit was gone, it was stuck in a rut – doing just what it always did and not challenging itself.
If you find that you can’t do something today, don’t assume you will never be able to do it. Try it again tomorrow or next week. You might hit the lid occasionally but you won’t be held back any imaginary limits that you outgrow.
Two Wolves
Props: None
Script:
An Indian was discussing life with some children. He said, “A battle rages inside me between two wolves. One wolf is anger, envy, sorrow, fear, greed, arrogance, lies, regret, and self-pity. The other wolf is joy, peace, hope, humility, kindness, generosity, truth, and faith.”
He said, “This same battle goes on inside everyone, even each of you.”
After a minute, one child asked, “Which wolf will win?”
The Indian replied, “The one you feed.”
Frog in Hot Milk
Props: None
Script:
There are two frogs and each is in a tall pot filled halfway with milk. Someone comes along and puts the pots on the stove and turns on the heat. I guess they thought this is how you make some sort of frog soup. They tried to jump out of the pots, but the walls of the pot were too tall. The first frog decided that there was nothing he could do and just floated in the milk until it started to boil and it killed him. The second frog decided he would kick his legs and keep kicking as long as he could and as fast as he could. Eventually the milk turned to a thick cream. He kept kicking as fast as he could and it turned into whipped cream. He started kicking even faster. He was very tired and his legs were sore but he kept at it and the whipped cream turned into butter. The second frog was able to climb up on top of the chunk of butter, jumped as high as he could and got out of the pot.
Remember we will often find ourselves in unpleasant situations or hard times. If we choose to quit we will always be in trouble, but if we work hard and keep trying we will probably get out of the situation.
A Tale of Two Dollars
Props: Two new crisp dollar bills
Script:
Can you all see this dollar bill? Pretty nice looking, isn’t it? See how its crisp, clean, and neat? Who would like it? I’m going to give it away to someone, so raise your hand if you’d like it.
OK, before I give it away, let me do this.
(crumple the bill up into a small ball)
Who still wants it? OK, just a second.
(drop it on the ground and grind it with your foot)
Who still wants it?
(hold the crumpled bill in one hand and the second clean bill in the other)
One of these bills is good looking, clean, and nice to look at. The other is kind of grimey, crumpled, and not too pleasant. But, neither is more valuable than the other. Their worth is not based on how they look. Like these dollars are valuable because they are dollars, people are valuable just because they are people, not because of how they look.
The Chain
Props: a length of chain
Script:
You’ve heard the saying “A chain is only as strong as its weakest link”. That’s absolutely true. With this chain, I can pull a car or lift a heavy load – I can perform many tasks. But, if I try to lift something that is too heavy, one of the links will break – the weakest link will let down the rest of the chain.
In Scouting, each scout works on personal advancement to strengthen and improve skills. Personal advancement increases the strength of each link in our chain so we can accomplish more.
But, there will always be a weakest link. No matter what the task at hand, some person will be less skilled than the others. Someone will not be able to tie a certain knot, or kindle a fire, or hike as fast, or recite as well as the others. At some point, each of you will be a weakest link – I guarantee it! Being the weakest link is not a shameful thing – it is an opportunity for improvement.
One of the best things about Scouting is that our “chain” is better than a simple metal chain. When we have a task to do, we are not really limited by our weakest link. The other stronger or more skilled or more experienced links support the weaker links. They help them, teach them, and guide them. As a result, we accomplish much more than if we each just did our specific task and left the rest.
I have been on teams before that excelled because of this idea. There were times that I felt like I was the weakest link and was worried I would let my team down. This gave me a reason to push and be better. The reason our team worked so well is because each and everyone of us felt that way sometimes, so we supported each other and drove each other to be our best!
The Power of Positivity
Props: None
Script:
The words ‘No, you can’t because …’ are heard way too often in life.
How pleasant it would be if the phrase were simply turned around to ‘Yes, you can when …’ ‘Yes, you can if …’ or ‘Yes, you can as soon as …’
Instead of ‘No, we can’t start the game without the umpire’, it would be ‘Yes, we can start as soon as the umpire gets here. And if he’s not here in 5 minutes Mr. Smith will stand in for him.’
Using positive words shows a positive attitude and a positive attitude makes the world a bit better.
The Donkey in the Well
Props: None
Script:
A farmer had a donkey that unfortunately fell into an abandoned well. It brayed and brayed until the farmer heard him and came running over. The well was deep and the farmer couldn’t figure out how to hoist the donkey out. Besides, the donkey was getting old and the farmer had other donkeys. And, the well was abandoned and should be covered up anyway, so …The farmer called his neighbors over with their shovels. They all gathered around and started shoveling dirt onto the donkey, which was still braying away in fear.
After a while, the farmers couldn’t hear the donkey any longer. They continued to fill the well with dirt until suddenly the donkey stepped up and out of the well!
As the farmers shoveled dirt onto the back of the donkey, he would shake it off and step up onto the new dirt until the dirt lifted him out.
You will get dirt shoveled on you in your life – lots of dirt, all kinds of dirt. When you feel like you’re stuck in a well, just shake all that dirt off and take a step up.
If someone says you can’t do something, shake it off and step on it. If you do poorly, shake it off, step on it, and try again. When you stop trying, that’s when the dirt will bury you. So, shake it off, step up, and never give up.
I Can Sleep at Night
Props: None
Script:
In the old, old days the Boy Scouts had a contest to find the best scout. They wanted to find which scout had best exemplified the scout oath, law, motto, and all that is scouting. The prize was a new tent, sleeping bag, and flashlight plus a weekend campout with the Dan Beard – a founder of the BSA.
One scout was easily selected – it was a unanimous decision based on all he had done and his leadership. Dan Beard flew into town and met the scout, gave him his prizes, and headed out on their campout.
On the hike to the campsite, Mr. Beard asked the scout, “So, why do you think you earned this reward?”
The scout thought for a while and replied, “Well, I guess it’s because I can sleep at night.”
This caught Beard by surprise and he didn’t know what to think, so he just pondered it on the hike.
After setting up camp, eating dinner, and a short campfire, Mr. Beard decided to go to bed, and some time later so did the scout. Around midnight, BOOM it hit, a big thunderstorm!
Dan got out of bed and went to build up the fire so it wouldn’t go out in the rain, but it had already been built. He then went to secure the firewood but that had already been put under a tarp. He then went to put up the cooking supplies and food but that, too, had already been taken care of.
As it started to rain, he looked in on that scout and saw that he was fast asleep!
Mr. Beard retired to his tent and thought about what that young scout had told him – “I can sleep at night.”
Failing
Props: None
Script:
Although you may not remember, you’ve failed many times in your life.
Guess what happened the first time you tried to stand?
Do you think you caught the first ball thrown to you?
How about your first time on a bicycle?
This “failing” is called “learning”. We aren’t experts the first time we try something. We have to fail a bit and get better as we develop skills.
Did you know Babe Ruth struck out something like 1,330 times? But, he hit over 700 home runs. If he had stopped playing baseball because he struck out so much, where would he have been?
Don’t worry about failing when you try new things. Worry more about the opportunities you miss if you are afraid of failing.
The Rock and the Sandbox
Props: None
Script:
A little boy was spending his Saturday morning playing in his sandbox. He had with him his box of cars and trucks, his plastic pail, and a shiny, red plastic shovel. In the process of creating roads and tunnels in the soft sand, he discovered a large rock in the middle of the sandbox!
The boy dug around the rock, managing to dislodge it from the sand. With a bit of struggle, he pushed and nudged the rock across the sandbox by using his feet. (He was a very small boy and the rock was very huge.)
When the boy got the rock to the edge of the sandbox, however, he found that he couldn’t roll it up and over the little wall. Determined, the little boy shoved, pushed, and pried, but every time he had made some progress, the rock tipped and then fell back into the sandbox.
The little boy grunted, struggled, pushed, and shoved; but his only reward was to have the rock roll back, smashing his chubby fingers. Finally he burst into tears of frustration. All this time the boy’s father watched from his living room window as the drama unfolded. The moment the tears fell, a large shadow fell across the boy and the sandbox. It was the boy’s father. Gently but firmly he said, “Son, why didn’t you use all the strength that you had available?” Defeated, the boy sobbed back, “But I did Daddy, I did! I used all the strength that I had!” “No, son,” corrected the father kindly, “you didn’t use all the strength you had. You didn’t ask me.”
With that the father reached down and lifted the rock from the sandbox. Sometimes the resources you need to solve a problem don’t have to be possessed by you, they just have to be accessible to you. Always look beyond yourself at all the resources you have and that includes the people you can count on.
One Good Turn Can Cause Another
Props: None
Script:
I would like to tell you two true stories…
In 1999, a 10 year old boy was a bat boy for a Little League game. He was in the wrong spot just as a player swung for a ball and the bat struck him right in the chest. The impact stopped his heart. Lucky for him, a woman watching the game jumped out of the stands, gave him CPR, and he began breathing again.
In 2006, a woman was eating in a restaurant. When she began choking, a young man working there rushed over and performed the Heimlich maneuver, causing her to cough out the food that was choking her.
The woman in the first story was named Penny Brown. The boy’s name was Kevin Stephen.
The woman in the second story was named Penny Brown and the young man was Kevin Stephen, now a 17 year old Life Scout.
Penny had saved Kevin and, 7 years later, he repaid the favor by saving her life. He had learned his life saving skills through Boy Scouts and added to them through firefighter training.
Why do we teach first aid, life saving, and all these skills in Boy Scouts? Why is our motto “Be Prepared”? Well, this is a great example of ‘WHY’.
Leave a Trace
Props: None
Script:
We spend quite a bit of time learning how to ‘Leave No Trace’ on our camping trips. We take extra care to ensure that we leave as little impact as possible and let others enjoy the unspoiled outdoors. But, you all know that no matter how hard we try, we do leave a trace – a footstep, some matted down grass, a broken twig.
When camping, we concentrate on the ‘physical’ traces we leave behind. But, every day, we are leaving a trace of our passing. Everywhere you go, everyone you meet, and everything you do leaves a trace that you were here. If you tell a little brother to shut up, that can leave an ugly trace that takes a long time to heal over. If you thank your mom for being a great mom, that will leave a good trace.
You may only interact with a stranger for a couple seconds or with your friends for a couple hours, but no matter how long it is, you leave a trace of your passing all the time. It’s up to you to leave a trace that makes the world a better or worse place.
You may not think a cheerful ‘Hello’ to a kid at school, or a courteous ‘Thank You’ to someone that serves you, or a helpful holding the door open for a stranger, or a friendly smile to a small child in the mall really makes any difference –
but it does!
So, no matter what you do, you WILL Leave a Trace. Do your best to make it a Good Trace.
Making a Difference
Props: None
Script:
Ask the group to answer these questions in their head:
- Name the five wealthiest people in the world.
- Name the last five Heisman trophy winners.
- Name the last five winners of the Miss America contest.
- Name five people who have won a Nobel Prize.
Raise your hand if you could answer at least one of the questions. (probably no one)
Try these questions:
- Name five people who have taught you something important.
- Name five friends who care about you.
- Name five people you look up to.
- Name five people who help make you a better person.
People that achieve great things are famous for a while – as long as they are the best. But, someone else wins and the memory of the previous star fades away. A ribbon, medal, or trophy collects dust.
Earning the respect, trust, and friendship of those around you has more long-term worth than personal achievement. People that care about others are the ones that really make a difference.
A Scout's Map and Compass
Props: Map and Compass
Script:
I have here a map and a compass. With these tools, I can find my way to any place I want and back again. I can find where I am, where I want to go, and how to get there. That doesn’t mean I’ll never take a wrong turn, but I’ll be able to recognize it and fix my mistake.
A map gives us a lay of the land. It shows us landmarks and we can see the best ways to move from place to place. A compass helps us find our bearings and figure out which direction to go from where we are to reach our goal.
Boy Scouts learn how to use a map and compass. If you have these tools with you, you may get lost or off track, but if you know how to use them, you can find your way back.
We also have another type of map and compass – not for hiking, but for living.
The Scout Law: A Scout is trustworthy, loyal, helpful, friendly, courteous, kind, obedient, cheerful, thrifty, brave, clean and reverent. That is our map. Each point is a landmark, something to strive for.
The Scout Oath: On my honor, I will do my best to do my duty to God and my country and to obey the Scout Law; to help other people at all times; to keep myself physically strong, mentally awake, and morally straight. That is our compass. It shows us how to navigate through life, which decision to make when faced with a challenge or opportunity.
We use the map (the Scout Law) as a guide for our lives and the compass (the Scout Oath) to keep ourselves oriented.
One thing I really like about Boy Scouts is that I am required to take the same oath and live by the same law that the Scouts do. And you know, if a young (or old) person makes all efforts to live up to the Scout Oath and Scout Law, they are bound to be a pretty good person.
Two Key Words
Props: None
Script:
What do you suppose is the most valuable two word sentence you can say?
Some of you might say, it’s “We won!” Others would vote for, “Here’s money!” But I think the best two-word sentence is “Thank you. “
It isn’t used as often as it should be. How often do you use it? And how often do you say thank you to the persons who are closest to you, your mother and father? How often do you say it to your friends or even strangers when they do something for you?
It’s so easy to forget, especially if the Good Turn is done by somebody in your family. Too often we take for granted the many things our parents and other family members do for us.
Here’s a challenge for you. Between now and the next troop meeting, see if you can find some reason to say thank you every day to some member of your family. You may be surprised how they will react.
A simple thank you costs nothing, but it means so much to those who matter most to you. Good manners can be the difference between you being just another Scout and one who earns respect from those around you.
Be a Blessing
Props: None
Script:
Many of you have heard of a woman in India named Mother Teresa who has devoted her life to serving the poor. She is known around the world. She has shown that you do not have to do big things to be a blessing to others. When someone is hungry you can feed them, if they are dirty you can help clean them. If they are sick you can care for them. If they are lonely you can talk to them. If they mourn someone you can give them words of comfort. You do not have to be rich or famous or a person of great importance to do any of this. You simply have to care about others as much as you care about your own needs. Mother Teresa has cared for many who were sick, fed many who were hungry, and cleaned many who were dirty. She gave up all her worldly possessions when she started doing this 60 years ago. She was not always famous but she always cared. In the early years she was a small nun working in the slums of Calcutta, India unknown to the rest of the world.
Each of you can be a blessing to others as you live your lives. You can say a kind word when someone is down; you can buy a meal for someone who is hungry. When you help someone, keep it to yourself, you do not need to beat your chest on a street corner and say what a good person you are. The world will notice your example by how you treat others. When the opportunities arise, always be a blessing to family, friends and strangers! Goodnight gentlemen!
Manure and Toys
Props: None
Script:
There were once two little boys, one always seemed to have fun, and the other always seemed scared and unhappy. A very rich family heard about the two boys and invited them to their home. They decided that the reason the two boys behaved so differently must be because of the circumstances that they lived in. So when the boys came the family did a kind of experiment. They took the boy that was always scared and unhappy and took him to a room with really comfortable furniture and every toy you could ever think of. The boy that was always having fun, they took to the stables where they owned horses. They put him in the room where they shoveled the old horse manure in, and there was nothing but manure almost 8 feet deep. They left the boys for two hours then went to check on them. When they went to the toy room, they saw that unhappy little boy standing in the middle of the room. Everything was just like they left it and it didn’t seem like anything had been touched. They asked what he had done and he said, “I just stood here.” The family asked him, “Why didn’t you play with any of the toys.” The boy responded, “I was afraid if I touched things they would get broken. Then I would be in trouble, and my family can’t afford to replace the broken toys.” Then the family went to the stables to see the other boy who had been stuck in a room filled with manure for two hours. When they went in there was horse manure flying across the room. The family yelled out, “What are you doing!?!?!?” The boy who was always happy looked up and said, “I figured with all this horse poop, there has to be a cool pony in here somewhere!”
Remember that we can rarely control where we are or what our circumstances are, but we can ALWAYS control our attitude in the situation. When things are going bad in life, look for that pony!
The Power of Eagles
Props: None
Script:
At the beginning of time, when all living creatures had only recently been made, a dispute arose among the birds. The disagreement was over which of them should be crowned the king. A contest was suggested to settle the matter, but the contenders could not agree on the terms of the contest. The parrot wanted it to be based on acrobatics. The ostrich thought it should be running. And the penguin argued for the deepest dive. Then, the eagle spoke up and said: “I think that the contest should be based upon flying. Flying is what a bird is for.” All the birds fluttered their wings and chirped their agreement. And so it was decided.
On the day of the contest all of the birds of the world gathered together. The signal was given and the birds leaped into the air. Leaping is about all that the ostrich could do—he couldn’t get up high at all. The penguin couldn’t even get off the ground. The parrot did a great deal better, but all his squawking tended to use up his energy, and he soon fell back exhausted. The great owl circled higher and higher, yet far above him was the swallow, whose cartwheels, spinning, tumbling, and darting drew the admiration of the crowd. But slowly and powerfully, the eagle rose above him. The swallow ceased his acrobatics to pursue the great bird, and together they raced above the clouds. Soon, the thin upper air took its toll on the swallow, who could not beat his small wings fast enough to gain more altitude. His strength gave out, and down he came. Spiraling even higher, the eagle rose into the sunlight. His wings were also tiring, yet he continued to climb.
The crowd below was not applauding. Indeed, awe and fascination had settled over each bird’s heart. They could only watch silently and remain spellbound. The eagle had risen to almost the limit of his possibility. His wings were beginning to fail. Then, just as he was beginning to slide back from his great height, a small black speck rose above him. The birds strained their eyes. They couldn’t understand what it was. Some said it looked like a bird, but another bird could not have reached that great height. Only the eagle had wings strong enough to fly that high.
“It is a bird! It’s a sparrow!” exclaimed the keen-eyed hawk. “A sparrow?” queried the others. “Yes, a sparrow,” replied the hawk. Then the birds understood. They had been so absorbed at the beginning of the contest that no one noticed the eagle had launched himself into the air with a small sparrow riding on his back. He had risen to that great height, bearing not only his own weight but also the weight of another. Then, as the eagle was about to fall, having done the best that he could do, he lifted the sparrow from his back and watched as the small bird flew higher.
The birds below were choked with emotion, and then they began to cheer for their king! The eagle was their king not because he could fly—because that is what a bird is for—he was their king because he had used his strength to help another rise to heights that he never could have reached himself.
The birds learned a great lesson that day. Those who would be the rulers among us must become our servants. They must use their strength to improve the lives of all. You are all here as eagles. Each of you has many strengths. But the most important lesson is to learn that leadership means serving others, and we will learn to use our strengths to support each other. A great leader is indeed “primus inter pares,” or first among equals.
Johnny Appleseed
Props: None
Script:
(Hold out the apple in one hand and the seeds in the other for all to see.)
If I gave you a choice, which hand would you choose?
Of course, the apple would sure taste good. But, in the mid-1800s there was a fellow that would have taken the tasteless seeds instead. In fact, he was so fascinated with apple seeds that folks called him Johnny Appleseed.
He walked across hundreds of miles of our nation’s frontier lands year after year, planting apple trees wherever he could find a likely spot. He continued doing this until he died – it was his life’s calling.
The trees that grew from the apple seeds he planted fed thousands of people as our nation expanded and folks spread west. Johnny Appleseed had a vision – he saw that work he did today might have a big impact much later. But, he didn’t do great deeds – he didn’t build a huge structure, invent new technology, or become a great politician. All he did was plant tiny, simple seeds.
Every time you do a Good Turn you are planting a seed. You are doing just what Johnny Appleseed did – making a tiny difference. Doing that day by day, year after year, as a way of life, will affect thousands of people.
Look out into the world and have a vision of where you want your life to go. But, along the way, make sure you plant a lot of seeds of helpfulness, friendship, courtesy, kindness, and cheerfulness.