When He Starts Calling You
Lately, life hasn’t so much shifted as it has rearranged itself without asking permission. Not in a bad way. Just in a very real one. I went from living alone, moving at my own rhythm, trying to keep a small business flowing, to sharing a home with a friend and her kid. He’s seven now. Full of energy. Full of questions. And somewhere along the way, he started calling me “dad.” That wasn’t part of... [More]
By: Sapna Kanda On: 2026-01-26
Doing What Is Right, Even When It’s Not Easy
As we head into the week of Martin Luther King Jr. Day, we’re reminded of a simple but powerful truth often attributed to him: “The time is always right to do what is right.” In Scouting, we talk a lot about character, values, and leadership. But those ideas aren’t meant to live only in ceremonies, mottos, or handbooks. They’re meant to show up in everyday moments. The quiet ones. The inconvenient ones. The moments when... [More]
By: Sapna Kanda On: 2026-01-18
January Doesn’t Need a Reset Button
As the campfire crackles, flames dancing and throwing an orange glow across the trees, the moment is alive. Sparks lift into the dark. Wood pops. Smoke drifts just enough to remind you where you’re sitting. Then a Scout shrieks with delight from somewhere behind you, and you nearly spit a mouthful of coffee into the dirt. Kids are being kids. Loud. Curious. Bursting with energy. Their excitement doesn’t dip the way ours sometimes does after... [More]
By: Sapna Kanda On: 2026-01-12
Wobbly Behind the Scenes
My flow has been a bit wobbly behind the scenes. Just before Christmas, I more or less crashed. Not in a dramatic way, but in an AuDHD burnout or shutdown kind of way. Between a stubborn, snot-filled cold, the holidays, and the weight of running my own business, it all accumulated. Most of what happened after that was rest and recovery. Not much output. Just letting the system settle. The good news is that things... [More]
By: Sapna Kanda On: 2026-01-05
Scouting, the New Year, and Changing Course
The calendar flips. The year resets. And suddenly, everyone feels the quiet pressure to make big plans and bold promises they’re not entirely sure they want to keep. But the New Year isn’t really about starting over. It’s about remembering that nothing is permanent. Trails change. Weather shifts. And sometimes the path we thought we were on quietly bends in a new direction. Scouts understand this better than most. A map is only useful if... [More]
By: Sapna Kanda On: 2025-12-29
Scouts: Courtesy, Kindness, and the Holiday Table
The days are short now, the nights are long, and calendars everywhere are doing that end-of-year thing where they quietly panic. Whether your family says Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, or starts the gathering with “so… who brought this?”, this season has a way of pulling people together. Not perfectly. Not quietly. But together all the same. In Scouting, we talk a lot about family, friends, and fellowship. Around a campfire, those things come naturally. At... [More]
By: Sapna Kanda On: 2025-12-25
December has a way of teaching quietly.
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:... [More]
By: Sapna Kanda On: 2025-12-16
The Gift of Understanding
This time of year, we talk a lot about kindness, generosity, and looking out for one another. But some of the most important acts of kindness aren’t wrapped in ribbons. They’re quiet moments of understanding.Many people live with neurodivergence — ADHD, autism, or both. And sometimes, especially during busy seasons, that can mean burnout. It doesn’t always look dramatic. Often, it shows up quietly:sleep shifting laterfocus slippingtasks that once felt simple suddenly feeling heavysenses turning... [More]
By: Sapna Kanda On: 2025-12-08Finding Balance as the Holidays Roll In
Thanksgiving has come and gone, our tummies are still full, and here in Northern Nevada it’s getting a bit chilly. December is sliding in, and Christmas will be here before we know it. This time of year is always a mix of excitement, planning, and maybe a little chaos. And while it’s easy to get swept up in the gift lists, the sales, and all the “must-haves,” I like to remind myself — and the... [More]
By: Sapna Kanda On: 2025-11-30
Gratitude for the People We Don’t Always Agree With
With Thanksgiving coming up this week, I’ve been thinking a lot about family — the easy moments, the loud ones, the funny ones, and even the challenging ones. Holidays have a way of putting everyone back around the same table, and sometimes that means sitting with people we love… even when we don’t agree with everything they say or believe. But here’s the thing: compassion, kindness, and respect don’t require agreement. They just require understanding.... [More]
By: Sapna Kanda On: 2025-11-26