THE POWER OF DELAYED GRATIFICATION
When I bite into Girl Scout Thin Mints these days, my sweet tooth finds them sweeter and mintier—a flavor intensity tied to my belief in the power of delayed gratification. As a child, I was a Girl Scout wanna-be who pored over 1960s Brownie and Junior handbooks which were castoffs from a garage sale bargain box. I studied those manuals, internalized lore, and noted activities qualifying me for merit badges, all the while begging my parents to allow me to join. As I was the oldest of six on a farm eight miles from town, my over-extended parents resolutely refused. Years passed, and my yearning to join the brown-beanie-and-sash club was long forgotten by the time my daughter’s troop leaders resigned en masse. I, almost four decades old, officially became a Girl Scout for the first time.
After signing on, I learned that a local day camp needed troop leaders for a week of outdoor activities: cooking over fires, leading songs, playing games, teaching crafts, and overseeing flag ceremonies. I acknowledged my near total lack of outdoor skills, but expressed willingness to “help out”. When June rolled around, those I was to help had not materialized; I was catapulted to primary leadership responsibility for sixteen 4th and 5th graders for what turned out to be a muddy, rain-drenched week. In short order, second-in-command Julie (who turned out to be the experienced one) taught me to clean out a soggy fire pit, line it with aluminum foil, and not feel ashamed to “cheat” by using a wax-lint fire-starter. She taught me that the best fire builders struggle in a downpour and there’s no shame in using a camp stove. Together, we learned that a pair of adults can organize sixteen cold, wet girls to prepare a meal and then keep them occupied for a few more hours in bad weather even without electronic games. In short, we felt heroic.
That week, rain poured down solidly for three days out of four. The sun arrived only on the final day. And so, like a baby duck simply led to a lake to swim for the first time, I was initiated into my childhood dream of Girl Scouting.
The years since have been a lot sunnier. This June, my daughter and I return to Camp Conestoga for our 9th consecutive day camp. She has grown from an excited 9-year-old to a competent teen leader who ranks day camp as one of her top-two childhood experiences. I marvel sometimes that I didn’t throw in the towel after such a rough start. However, I believe years of waiting not only prepared me for all kinds of weather, but enhanced my Girl Scouting adventures. After 10 years, I’m still finding sweet gratification and I keep returning for more. I count on Thin Mints, Shortbreads and Carmel Delites, but I also know that there just may be a new cookie next year.
Theresa Bries
