Steve Irwin a Man

I walked by the television when they showed an airy picture of Steve Irwin holding up a 2-foot long alligator. I didn't think to stop because I didn't think they were saying anything to serious maybe a non-fatal accident. I never would have guessed death. It was hours later that I was talking to a friend when they said "The crocodile hunter was killed by a sting ray" I froze, I froze because I watch his show religiously with and without my children present. I froze as if it were my loved one who passed away. I froze because I knew his wife was hurting. Many of us know Steve as this macho crocodile savior. We knew him as an entertainer but when I watched Steve I noticed something else about him. I realized that it wasn't just his enthusiasm for animals and wild life that kept me turning to his show on animal planet but his sensitivity to animals, and people and nature. I can't imagine the loss his wife feels with the absense of his presence.

I liked to watch Steve's diary aired on Animal planet and I watched recently the episode when Terri was having their first child and he was so nervous just like most fathers. He brought the camera crew with him. It never crossed his mind that could have been a private moment between his family. He shared the birth of his daughter with the world. He proudly paraded her around the hospital showing off baby Bindi as his first achievement. Needless to say that brought tears to my eyes. I felt warm because Steve has watched animals with their off spring and his behavior mimicked what he saw. He was so protective of Baby Bindi that I barely saw Terri with her. I saw Steve as a man who was gentle not only toward nature but the way he interacted with his friends. He made them feel like family. He gave a sense of connection. I watched as one of the workers had a pain in his foot and how Steve made sure he took care of it. He was involved in his friend's problem. He always looked happy but there were times you could see sadness behind his eyes. A certain level of worry that the world couldn't understand. I particularly liked to watch how Steve interacted with his wife. When he looked at Terri I could see admiration. He would caress her arm softly or talk to her gently. There was a unique love between them a peaceful understanding of one another. I could sense that she felt safe with him.

It made me sad that everyone who knew him could only say how much he loved animals. They only related to him because of his passion for wildlife. No one hardly mentioned his passion for life, his passion for his family. He was a hero to my family and me because Steve Irwin represents masculinity and sensitivity, he represents peace in a chaotic world, he represents harmony where everyone is off key. He has impacted my life with his desire to make his part of the world better. His life has impacted me and my family greatly. I will miss the adventures he's never gotten to take me on. I will miss the funny way he invented new worlds my children loved to hear. I will miss all that Steve stood for.