I just returned from my son’s Boy Scout camporee (which basically means lots of boys, lots of testosterone, and lots of smelly clothes). When I was a scout, women were forbidden to come on camping trips –there are just some things that we just didn’t want them to know and it just would have ruined everything to have them there. Tonight, as in every troop event I have been on, there were women – gross me out! So I have been thinking both about women and my scouting experience. One aspect of scouting is Order of the Arrow, which is an elected leadership honor. The OA has a motto – WWW which means We Want Women (at least it did when I was a scout!). Actually, if I told you what it really meant, I’d have to kill you. So you’ll just have to keep with the teenage definition we gave it. In truth, I think scouting is probably better with women participating. Our troop has a boy with Downs Syndrome and his mother (or father) is with him at every event and our troop welcomes her and other women as well. If women had been involved in scouting when I was young, I probably would have never gotten a swirlie (if you don’t know what a swirlie is, you can ask a scout from my era. Trust me you are better off NOT knowing). Men leaders in my day either just let it pass (not referring to other things scouts do on campouts) or are just too full from Dutch oven cooked peach cobbler to walk around and see what REALLY happened to young scouts. So I am thankful for the difference woman make in scouting.My friend Kathy Roth, founder of the Jeff Roth Cycling Foundation, emailed me about other women making a difference – Women Writing for (a) Change.This is an organization, a writing center of sorts, located in Cincinnati founded by Mary Pierce Brosmer. Women Writing for (a) Change was initially started with the idea that, through writing and sharing their work, women might make systemic changes in their lives, and thus, the world. Over the past 15 plus years, it’s grown beyond that. There are writing workshops for families and men as well. In the summer, there are writing camps for girls. The biggest focus remains women.I also learned today about Lending Promise another very cool project that involves woman.  I must confess tonight, I feel like a womanizer and the great thing, is that my wife is okay with it….just for tonight. Â
Tim Richardson is an inspirational speaker who speaks about how giving increases employee morale, lowers employee turnover, increases customer loyalty and creates higher profits for Fortune 500 companies, associations, and national conventions. He is the founder of the The Worlds Biggest Blog Party an event which will connect bloggers from all over the world to raise money for charity. He is also founder and president of the Bill Walter Melanoma Research Fund. For more information on Tim, go to www.TimRichardson.com
Early this morning, I was walking to my car reading the mail I had just picked up. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw the truck five feet away but I didn’t see the cooper pipes extending several feet past the end of the truck. And POW! (like in the old Batman TV show) I plowed right into it. I uttered a Robin like phrase (Holy stupid pipes) as I grabbed my head.
Last year, I read a great book 
