Nature Boy

Wooooo!!!

People everywhere recognize the battle cry of Ric Flair, the self-proclaimed ‘Nature Boy’ of professional wrestling.  For decades Flair’s stature amongst the best having competed in the ‘squared circle’—as wrestling rings are known in the business--is undeniable.  His ability to attract both interest in his sport and fans to arenas around the world has been firmly established.  His right to the nickname ‘Nature Boy’ has never been questioned.

Until now, that is.

Move over, Ric Flair.  There’s a new Nature Boy in town, and his name is Krischan.   

Krischan’s interest in nature started at an early age.  When he was too young to walk Cindy and I took him for rides in his stroller to a nearby lake.   Once we stumbled upon a family of ducks along the shore or an array of turtles sunning on an old log, Krischan would sit back and take it all in for as long as Cindy and I were willing to let him. 

When Krischan was old enough to walk he wanted me to take him to feed the horses.  It didn’t matter which horses, he just wanted to FEED THE HORSES.  Quick trips to the grocery store for apples and carrots were standard operating procedure for a couple of years, as were the subsequent trips to any of a multitude of farms and pastures populated by equines of all colors, shapes and sizes.  It was a joy watching the excitement on Krischan’s face as the horses lined up at the fence to share in whatever their little three and later four year old friend would pull out of his grocery back next. 

Long walks with Krischan have always been an adventure.  Now that he’s near the end of kindergarten, it always amazes me to hear what he has to say as we traverse the great outdoors:

‘Rain is nature’s friend; it feeds the flowers.’ 

‘The sun keeps the planet warm.  The animals, too.’ 

‘The stars in the sky tell you where you are.’

‘Reptiles are our friends because they eat insects.’ 

The hits just keep on coming. 

When I’m with Krischan he always manages to keep my attention.  After all, I’ve been out of school for a good many years and it’s always interesting to find out how much Krischan knows…as well as how much I’ve forgotten (a lot, apparently).     

I’ve never seen anyone who can entertain himself as much simply by being in the great outdoors.   It could be in the front yard…in the back yard…in the woods behind the house…at the lake up the street.  It matters not: If it’s outdoors, there’s an adventure waiting to be discovered by a certain wide-eyed, eager to experience and learn six-year old boy willing to take it all in.  

Krischan’s appreciation for nature really shined through last Saturday as he was running in a one-mile fun run on an asphalt path that meandered through a multitude of grassy fields.  We were running together and Krischan was on pace to run a personal best time when he abruptly stopped in his tracks.  He bent over and spent a good 30 seconds or more rescuing an earthworm that had found its way into the middle of the asphalt path.   He picked it up and calmly returned it to its natural habitat, the dirt on one side of the asphalt.  When we resumed running he told me he feared the worm would be crushed by the runners and wanted to save it because ‘worms are good for nature.’

Although Krischan missed beating his personal best time by a mere 10 seconds, it was clear to me that the boy definitely has his priorities in order.

Move over, Ric Flair.  There’s a new Nature Boy in town.

Wooooo!!!