This week, that lesson arrived as a shared cold. A sniffle passed along by a kiddo who meant well, delivered with all the generosity children are known for. Nothing serious, just enough to slow things down. A reminder that even small things ask for care.

There’s an old saying often passed around campfires, sometimes credited to Native wisdom, sometimes to long winters and observant people. Whether the wording is exact or not, the meaning holds:

One way to stay warm is to keep gathering wood.
Another way is to sit close to the fire.

Winter doesn’t reward constant motion. It rewards attention.

Right now, the body is asking for the second option. A little less doing. A little more being. That doesn’t mean giving up or falling behind. It means recognizing that rest, like warmth, can be shared too.

Scouting has always understood this. Campfires weren’t about who hauled the most wood. They were about knowing when the fire was enough. When the embers could carry the night without constant tending.

So if things feel slower this week, that’s okay. A shared cold is still a shared thing, and there’s something quietly human about that. No complaints here. Just adjusting pace, staying close to the warmth, and letting the season do what it does best.

There will be time to gather more wood.
For now, it’s enough to stay warm.

(If you’d like to support the work behind the scenes, you can gift our campfire a cup of cocoa at https://ko-fi.com/wackyeagle)