Not sure what to title this one; "Almost Lost My Mind in a Minivan-full of Scouts"?

I drove Hank and fellow scouts to a Boy Scout event last night. It was Hank's first. He's been a Webelo and Cub Scout with his buddies for three years and now has made the jump to Boy Scout.

I came THIS CLOSE to pulling the van over in the sketchiest sketch part of downtown Mpls last night to walk home. I discovered too late that I have a low, low tolerance for loud 10-year-old boys and their fart and poop jokes. Longest 20-minute drive of my life.

But.

Our destination was the downtown Simpson Shelter, an overnight homeless shelter for men and women, to serve the evening meal. It was a dramatic shift to see Hank and his friends move from fart joke tellers into conscientious, kind, friendly, warm boys while they set tables and interacted with the men and women there. Many of the shelter clients thanked the kids for their work and asked them, Are those brownies good?, How old are you?, Stay in school, and Thank you for dinner!

It was a touching experience.