Once a week, after school, I wore the light brown dress, the badge-filled sash and the dark brown beanie of a Brownie.
I was in third grade.
Our troop was about to fly up and become Juniors.
And it was time to choose a leadership council.
Since I was the brainiac of any group back then, I assumed the adult leaders would choose me to be the student leader.
But they didn’t.
One of the two pulled me aside as soon as the name of the leader was announced. Bless her sensitive heart, she knew I would be bewildered.
“Leadership takes a different set of skills,” she explained. “We’ve chosen you to be our Scribe.”
I didn’t know what a Scribe was (I was 8) but it sounded like a consolation prize.
Until she told me I would be the troop’s historian. Write down everything that happened at our meetings and on our camp outs.
I liked writing things down.
And I didn’t like bossing people around.
It was the right job for me.
#wheniseethewordquillithinkofascribe.
I loved this. Learning about life and team work – the best man for the job. We all have strengths and weaknesses. Not all of us are generals, guys go wherever you want. I would fail miserably if I had to be head chef. You want to chop those onions? No? Okay.
I just remember my mom telling me, whatever job you do – do it to the best of your capability. Otherwise, there’s no point in doing the job…even if it’s just picking up trash. It reflects your character. And if everyone on the team is doing their job the best they can, the results will be positive.
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Great comment. I like your definition of leadership – “guys go wherever you want” – because that’s exactly what it is (or ought to be) – going first, leading the way. My 8-year-old self, based on who was chosen to be the leader, concluded that it meant “boss people around.” It
doesn’tshouldn’t.I thought you might be a chef, based on your onion example (I’d be chopping all the onions myself, too), so I rushed over to your blog to find out. Looks like you’re not. But you are a delightful personality and a good writer.
Nice to meet you.
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Nice to meet you too. nope, I was just giving examples of how not everyone is a Chief, there needs to be some Little Indians too. My strength is not in a leadership role. But whatever role you play, it’s important to do the best you can.
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Wise leadership. Glad you got the job the you fit best 🙂 I was a Brownie, too, and they made me the secretary. Different term, same job as yours. Perfect for me.
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Two peas in a pod.
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I think so 🙂
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I was a Brownie too… memories, memories!
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