On my honor, I will try

On my honor
I will try
To do my duty
To God and my country
To help other people at all times
And obey the Girl Scout rules.

I still that pledge memorized. Our mom had boundless energy, and she was a Girl Scout leader and a Den Mother at the same time.  She was great fun and always seemed to be laughing when she was young.

Apparently girls can join the Boy Scouts now, but still not vice versa.  Proud of their 106-year all girl traditions and spaces, the Girl Scout organization doesn't see Boy Scouts as real competition.  But I suppose girls today might want join the Boy Scouts for the competition and outdoor challenge.

This has surely changed, but back in my day, most of our activities and merit badges were on the domestic side.  Even as a little Cub Scout, my brother would get to go on boisterous and lightly supervised camping trips. There were many more rules and restrictions for Brownies and even the older Girl Scouts.

Is kindness and civility dead in America?  Cruelty is as old as the world, but media brings it to our attention now like never before.  A constant, low-grade feeling of negativity and anxiety has permeated life. It can have a terrible effect on our heath and happiness, and giving negative people too much attention just gives feeds them more power. I'm not sure what the answer is anymore, except to cherish and enjoy of the things we love while we still have them.

From Psychology Today:

"Sadly, we seem to be living in an increasingly uncivil community. From presidential politics to random internet comments, there seems to be more and more rude, demeaning, insulting, and aggressive language and behavior in our society."