Up Front With Sara Parker Pauley

A storm was rolling in. My first indication was an unexpected rushing tide of cooler wind that made me look skyward to see what nature was about to unleash. Such a wind is exhilarating because it reminds me of my humanness and the power and mystery of nature. A fall morning does the same — the chill of the air, the changing colors, the V’s  of our winged kin making their way to wintering grounds. It reminds me that change is coming, despite any protestation to the contrary. It also reminds me to look up and pay heed to the details that I might otherwise miss.

I witnessed this anew one morning last fall on my daily dog walk. A heavy dew had socked in overnight, and the early morning shafts of light revealed an otherwise unseen world. The day before was a typical walk through the woods. But that day on the same walk, I saw hundreds of intricate spider webs — everywhere in nearly every tree. How ironic that a veil of dew had lifted a veil of another kind, allowing me to see that which was already there.

Writer Thornton Wilder said, “We can only be said to be alive in those moments when our hearts are conscious of our treasures.” I think that’s what fall does for me. It awakens me even more to the treasures of nature, and makes me come alive anew — much like a rushing wind before a storm.

Sara Parker Pauley, Director
SARA.PAULEY@MDC.MO.GOV