I had a friend in college who was as much a nature nut as I was. We often took biology classes together and went on excursions to botanize. I respected her because she was not taking these courses with a goal in mind; she was learning about birds and plants and mammals because of her interest in nature. She had a more general knowledge of all aspects of natural history.
I was more goal-oriented and specific in my interests. I was intent on learning the scientific name of every plant. My nature interests trailed off where insects or birds or anything other than plants was concerned.
What I remember most during our nature walks was her enthusiasm at finding a new plant or bird. It impressed me. Now I believe the wisest people are those that have retained their fresh child-like view of the world.
Over twenty years later I have found that she has not changed much. Many years of being around professional biologists has caused her to repeat more latin than I remember. But in a slide show when she is describing a special place she has found, how the aspens were a brilliant yellow; how they fell in the water and swirled into a circle of wet gold; I hear the same child enthusiasm that I remember. I consider people like her to be the best kind of people.
Some people you meet have a profound impact on your life. That is my hope in doing nature programs for school groups; perhaps something I will say about what I have learned or what inspired me will remain with these children as they grow, staying in their memory like a seed, perhaps to grow forth later in their lives.
As far as my friend, she influenced me more than she knows. I have come around to a similar view of nature as she had then. And I now at middle age have a desire to spend as much time as possible in nature, and to share some of the knowledge I have gained along with the inspiration I have encountered.
Our paths have only rarely passed since we were in college. Even so, I have the feeling that my life interests will parallel my friends in the future, as they have since we met two decades ago.