Those of you that know me could probably answer this question pretty easily.
Is Stephanie Daily an outdoorsy type or not? A Resounding No should be the answer.
My son was in Boy Scout camp over the last four days. Last night they had their closing ceremony. Parents could come down and eat some really gross camp food with their kids (sorry, it was). Then you could go see the kids campground, consisting of very old tents, and damp towels, with socks everywhere. Then you went on a hike, which by the way, I learned that you can start a fire with a 9 volt battery and steel wool. Then you went down to this gathering place – you know the place – surrounded by trees, with the wooden benches that you sit around, big fire pit, and a tee-pee behind you – that place. The scouts did skits for the parents, they did a few songs, a flag ceremony, and the boys were off, back to their damp tents for one more night of glee before returning home to their TV’s and DSI worlds.
While I was sitting there being totally annoyed with the mosquito population that decided to feast on my poor flesh during the closing ceremony, I thought to myself, this really sucks. I was totally sticking it out for my son. He was so proud to have me and Mr D there to show us all that he had accomplished. Some tomahawk throwing, building of fires, swimming, making a wooden pocket knife, real boy stuff.
What threw me off in the middle of being eaten alive by mosquitoes is what happened next. A man that I have never met before approached me and said “Are you Kameron’s Mom”? Now, this could be either a really good thing, or a sorta bad thing. I smiled and said, “yes I am”, swatting another mosquito away. (I doused myself in bug spray – by the way). He said, “did anyone tell you about the trading post and the money?” Immediately, oh shit, went through my head. What could have possibly happened there? He went on to tell me this story:
“The Trading Post is where boys can buy things that they want from camp. Including raccoon hats, rabbit skins, walking sticks, gum, pop, gummy worms (you get the picture). On the day that Kameron’s group went to the Trading Post he picked out a few items, paid for them and they went back to their campsite. After returning to his camp site Kameron noticed something, and brought it to my attention. The teen at the Trading Post had given him too much change back from his purchase. He said, Kameron told me I was only suppose to have two dollars($2) back, and they gave me ten dollars ($10) back. Then he told me we needed to go back to the Trading Post to return the money.”
You know that moment when you gasp on the inside?
I had two other men tell me that story before I left camp. How impressed they were with Kameron’s honesty, and that he wanted to do the right thing. I told them all the same thing, I wish I could take credit for that, but I can’t.
My Dad taught Kameron that. I know, because he did the exact same thing time and time again over his 63 years here. My Dad worked retail, and knew if a register didn’t match up at the end of the night someone had some explaining to do. So he always would go back if the change wasn’t right. It didn’t matter if it was ten cents or ten dollars. My Dad picked Kameron up from school a lot for me, so I’m sure that occurrence had happened more than once. I can just hear my Dad saying “Oh, Kambo, hang on bud, they gave me the wrong change here, I have to take it back.” Because it was the right thing to do.
Even though I miss my Dad terribly, I will never be able to express how grateful I am for all of the life lessons he obviously instilled in my son. So even though Johnno wasn’t physically there at the Trading Post, he was there in spirit, proud.
