2023-10 Don't Get Hooked
Years ago, when I was a teenager, my father took us fishing alongside the Fall River located in Ashton Idaho. Typically, you would use a fly on this river… but for some reason we tied a spoon onto the end of the line. I’m guessing that Dad just wanted to see if a fish would hit his go-to lure. Now, Dad was not used to fishing on swift rivers like this with rainbows and cutthroat trout, rather, he was used to ponds in Iowa with blue gills and bass. So, with spoon tied on, I clicked my button on my trusty reel and let-er rip. All of a sudden, I felt a shot through my back as I flung the fishing lure directly at myself. My only guess is that the lure snagged on the long grass behind me, causing its flight plan to change course and embed itself through my shirt and into my skin. Dad rushed over and was successful in removing the fishing lure. Just in case you’re wondering, yes… getting treble hooks out of your back with pliers hurts really bad!
As we look at how to remove a fishhook from your skin, I’m reminded of how we need to pass this off as we work on Second Class along with the Fishing Merit Badge. Another story involving a fishhook… A couple of years ago we had a guest visit our troop and assist us with the fishing and fly-fishing merit badges. He was having a hard time getting the Scouts to understand the process of how to remove a fishhook from your skin. So… he took the object lesson to the next level and purposely stuck himself with a fishhook to have one of the Scouts perform the first aid and remove it. Instantly he had everyone’s attention. The object lesson was a huge success, and everyone still remembers how to get a fish hook out of your skin because of what they witnessed. With that being said, I highly don’t recommend doing this on purpose.
Let’s switch gears a little. What are some metaphorical “hooks” out there in this world that can get you into trouble? Smoking? Drinking? Drugs? Now, think of how these items keep you away from being physically strong, mentally awake, and morally straight? Many of us have someone that we know that has attempted, in the process, or has quit smoking. The process was a very difficult and long one for the individual that I personally know. There are a lot of people out there that struggle with smoking and are wanting to quit daily. The struggle is real, and it’s hard. The most successful way to quit is to not start in the first place.
You personally may be placed in a position where you have a friend offer you something to smoke, drink or take. What are you going to do? What are you going to say? In reality, the choice is yours. But, I would raise the question of why would you start doing something that so many people are trying to quit? Each time we are placed into one of these circumstances, let us remember the Scout Oath and Law.