The joiner

When I was 5 years old, obviously I started school full time. It was more traumatic for my mother than it was for me. A foretelling of my future self, I didn't cry or make a fuss like others did. In fact I asked my mother why the other kids were crying and she explained that they were sad and frightened to be away from their mommies. Meh, I was unfazed and quickly adapted to kindergarten life. At the same time my mother started enrolling me into a slew of extra-curricular activities, giving me my first taste of joining.

"On my honour I promise that I will do my duty to God and the Queen; I will do my best to help others, whatever it costs me; I know the scout law, and will obey it." I became a cub scout starting with Beavers at this young age and later moved on up to Cubs, then Scouts. Most of my memories are of being very regimental about my uniform, folding the scarf properly and affixing it with the tie, making sure my hat was on straight and my socks were properly folded down. I was less concerned about earning the badges that eventually earned your spot in the next level up. Just working hard enough to get what was necessary which sounds about right even today. At some point the other boys started realizing there was something different about me, like dogs sniffing out my bushy gay tail and the teasing got to be too much for me so I quit.

Quitting became a bit of theme especially when I failed the same level of swimming lessons three times in a row. The Boys and Girls club was where I took swimming lessons for 5 years, not getting beyond the basics due to my fear of diving. The fear of hitting the bottom of the pool and snapping my neck or worse, breaking my hands which would prevent me from being able to draw, was paralyzing. At any rate, I was allowed to stop going to swimming lessons because I knew enough to not drown and my mother's philosophy always was that I would stick to the things I really enjoyed.

Which brings me to the one thing I did stick with since I was enrolled at such a young age, bowling. I started in 5-pin and continued to be part of the YBC (Youth Bowling Council) until the cutoff age of 18 at which point joining an adult mixed league was my only option. For whatever reason my adult bowling career in 5-pin ended with marriage and so begat an undetermined length of my hiatus. That is until my 30s found me joining/switching to a 10-pin league, which I really enjoyed until my recent unemployment has forced me to take another hiatus.

Overall I am thankful that my mother decided to enroll me in so many different social activities, encouraging me to stick to it until it was no longer enjoyable or beneficial. This practice stayed with me through high school where I was in many clubs. To this day I have participated in different not-for-profit groups or online communities to stay involved and engaged. There's nothing wrong with being a joiner, as long as you are doing it for the right reasons and not to please someone else.