Why I Guide? Confidence.

Misty McGill
Pathfinder Guider / District Commissioner
Guiding for almost 35 years in Port Coquitlam.

“It’s so fun…really! The variety of things I get to do. The impact that I get to make in the community with the girls and with other Guiders. Just keeping Guiding relevant and exciting. I just walk away feeling good. Ninety-nine-point-nine percent of the time, I’ve walked away from a camp, or a meeting or a training feeling good. I did something good, and I’ve got something good from it. It gets me excited to do the next thing. Like when the Pathfinders wanted to go zip lining two years ago, and I was zero, like, minus 100% interested in going ziplining. I’m not really afraid of heights. I can go over a ledge and look over it, but I don’t want to go swing out across it―you know, that doesn’t interest me! But I thought I’m always encouraging the girls to challenge themselves and to know that if they were to waiver we’re here to support them. Even if they stepped onto that ledge and said, ‘Nope, not doing it!” It’s okay. And I thought I’ve got to put my money where my mouth is. So I went ziplining with them. There was the first zip that was a little practice zip. It wasn’t very high―you know, you just get used to this and that. And then the next one was kind of like, okay you either turn back now or you do it. And I had one Pathfinder who was not really feeling it, and neither was I. She and I had a chat about how we felt about it, and we encouraged each other to do it. And we did! I definitely closed my eyes for the first three ziplines, and then I realized I was probably wasting my experience by keeping my eyes closed the whole time. So I opened my eyes for the last couple of ones. That was a good experience. If you’re thinking about Guiding, you’re going to love it! No matter what your interests are, your lived experience, your available time, there is a place for you. And you are going to love it! It’s going to be more fun than you thought, you’ll make new friends, and go to places you never thought you’d go. You don’t necessarily need to have a free Tuesday, every Tuesday―there are other options available. And if you just feel like you want to enrich your life by enriching others, then it’s all open.”