While visiting Yawgoog Scout Reservation during Alumni Day, I took my family into the Sandy Beach dining hall, where I spent many a summer day eating breakfast, lunch, and dinner.
It’s been a long time since I set foot in this dining hall, but as soon as I saw the stage, my mind was suddenly flooded with memories. Things I had forgotten about until that very moment.
I suddenly remembered that I spent a lot of time on that stage. An enormous amount of time on that stage. In fact, it might very well have been my very first stage.
The camp director of Sandy Beach was always looking for boys who were willing to take the microphone and lead the Scouts through the camp song, instruct them about the meal, make announcements, tell jokes, report on something amusing or interesting that took place over the course of the day, and more.
I was often that person. I volunteered whenever I could.
I would lead the Scouts in a song. Tell stories from the day. Solicit jokes from the Scouts. Make fun of Scoutmasters. Insult the chef’s cooking.
It was a combination of storytelling, stand up, sing alongs, and more. A variety show of sorts.
I had completely forgotten all of this.
Then we made our way to the Harold Williams Amphitheater, where the entire camp would gather on Saturday night for the famed Saturday Night Show. Parents and other invited guests joined the Scouts for a night of comedy, songs, and jokes.
Standing on that stage, I suddenly remembered that I was an integral part of these shows, too, inventing and performing in skits for an audience of more than 500 people.
Then on Sunday afternoons, the entire camp would gather on Tim O’Neil Field for a dress parade, and I would be responsible for reporting on the attendance of our troop. Most Scouts would stand before their troop and shout something like, “Troop 5 Anywhere Town, Massachusetts is all present, sir!”
But seeing an opportunity to do more, I would instead shout something like, “Troop Baden Powell, Sandy Beach, the greatest troop in all the land, the troop that soars higher than the clouds, the troop that cannot be beat, the finest looking Scouts in all the land, the Scouts who can knock down trees in a single blow, the fastest, strongest group of Scouts ever assembled, the best of the best, the finest of the finest, the coolest of the cool… Troop Baden Powell all present, sir!”
I had forgotten all of this, but the memories came roaring back as Elysha, and the kids, and I toured the camp.
I couldn’t believe it.
I used to say that I began my storytelling and speaking career ten years ago on a Moth StorySLAM stage in New York City.
Years later, Elysha heard me say this in a workshop and quickly corrected me, saying that I began my career in 1988 when I started writing seriously and haven’t missed a single day of writing ever since. She added that my career as a wedding DJ, which began in 1997, and my teaching career, which began in 1999, also contributed a hell of a lot.
And I agreed. I’ve been writing stories, essays, jokes, political cartoons, memoir, and more ever since I was 17 years old. Every single day.
I have journals dating back to 1989.
I started writing online when the internet was comprised of localized BBS systems with a few hundred users at best.
I’ve been writing a blog – this blog – since 2003 without missing a day. 6,627 posts and counting.
Yes, all of that writing certainly helped my storytelling and speaking immensely.
And yes, working as a wedding DJ for 25 years… speaking to hundreds of strangers every weekend, directing them, motivating them, and leading them, all unscripted, definitely helped, too.
And yes, my 23 year teaching career… speaking to students all day long, leading school wide assemblies, hosting parent meetings, offering professional development within the district, and constantly standing in front of human beings small and large most assuredly helped, too.
But it turns out that my career might’ve started even sooner, at a Boy Scout camp in Rockville, Rhode Island, where for reasons I still don’t quite understand, I was always willing to be the one standing on stage, speaking and performing.
