Joining the Girl Scouts Is Like Becoming a Writer

Distracted Daisy.

My five-year-old daughter recently went through a Girl Scouts investiture ceremony, which is really a fancy way of saying she was officially welcomed into the club and got some cool patches to put on her little blue tunic.

It’s funny, but as I watched the kids of various ages–the littlest ones, like my daughter, were Daisies; next up were the Brownies, and then the Juniors–up there lighting the candles and saying the words to the Promise, I thought about how much the Girl Scouts ceremony is like building a writing career.

When you first start, you’re a Daisy. You stand up there looking at your mom in the audience or the pretty flower decorations or fiddling with your pin instead of actually paying attention. You’re filled with the wonder of where you are, the fact that you–you!–have been invited to join this amazing club. You’re just so damn grateful and full of awe it distracts you, which can lead to unfortunate moments (like when my daughter nearly burned her fingers off trying to grab the candle too close to the flame…and my husband, of course, got it on video). And at the end of the day you’re so tired, all you want to do is stuff your face with watermelon cake and take a nap.

But before you know it you’re a Brownie, a little bit more aware of what’s going on and willing to follow the rules because you know it’ll get you where you want to be. See, where you really want to be is with those cool Juniors, with their tinkling friendship bracelets and shining confidence and easy laugh. You’re a hard worker, but you may feel sometimes like you’re just not getting there fast enough. (This, my friends, is definitely where I am now.) Still, being a Brownie is fun because you have that first-time I-don’t-know-what-the-hell-I’m-doing feeling out of the way. You’re trucking along on your own path, learning new things all the time.

And then you’re a Junior (I realize there are higher levels, but my daughter’s troop doesn’t have any Cadettes, Seniors, or Ambassadors yet :)) and it feels like, Wow. I’ve arrived. I’m the oldest here. Amazing. You know all the words and the super cool handshake and help the grown-ups with the littlest ones because YOU KNOW EVERYTHING.

Except you don’t, not really. Your (over)confidence leads to some pretty embarrassing falls. Sometimes you’re afraid to ask for help because you should know everything by now!

But with the help of your friends and others who’ve been there, you realize you don’t have to do it alone. You’re still learning as you search for your place in the world. Hopefully, you’ll never stop searching or learning.

And isn’t that the whole point?