About 2 years ago, I read Wild at Heart: Discovering the Secret of a Man’s Soul written by John Eldredge. It was a really refreshing take on Christianity and men. Now that we have a “little man,” I thought it would be good to read it again, and maybe blog a bit on different asspects of the book that spoke to me that I was willing to share. So here goes…
John Eldredge talks about little boys wanting adventure. I believe Eldredge is right on target with this statement, at least for myself. Let me chase a few rabbits here… (as my sister and I always say)
As a little boy, nothing was better than spending long summer days “exploring” in the woods behind the house. First behind the shop, what was known as “The Little Creek.” Then following the creek until it became “The Big Creek,” a washed out gully that seemed to be 10 feet deep (really is was about 4-5 ft).
There was Brierland, with briers that were at least 4 inches think (in our minds, in reality, they were more like about an 1 inch), and the remnants of a fort with a tree leaning so far over that if it fell, it would have made a perfect bridge over “the Big Creek.”
There was one long day’s journey with cousins from KY, us with our rubber boots so we could walk in the creek without getting wet. The plan was to follow the creek for as long as we could maybe even to the “Red River?” We finally came to an area where the creek was very shallow, flowing in a steady stream over quicksand (ok, not the real stuff, but the stuff that if you stood in place too long, your boot got stuck). The creek was very wide at this point, it was late in the day and had started wondering how/if we were going to get home. Of course we did, we soon came up to a neighborhood that we knew called and had our parents come pick us up at the McBrides.
I remember the first time I was allowed to ride on the shoulder of Hwy 28E down to Charlie’s, a local convenience store, to get some candy. The thrill of “riding on the road” and the danger (in my eyes) with cars driving by me.
I could go on… he talks about his first toy gun set… I had one pearl handle cap gun that I LOVED… bit, enough rabbits for now… those are very vivid childhood memories I still have of my “adventures” growing up.