Up Front With Sara Parker Pauley

“You find what you’re looking for.” So said a fabulous speaker I listened to recently as he shared a story about finding a jar of nails at his mother’s house. When he asked where she found the nails, she said she tends to find them when she goes on walks. “That’s because you’re looking for nails, mom,” he noted. “Why not look for coins instead?”

After reviewing this month’s articles, I have imagined the sheer delight of taking a walk through the woods with MDC power couple, Malissa and Jeff Briggler. She is the state botanist (all things plants and that includes mushrooms — see her article on Page 10) and he is the state herpetologist (all things amphibians and reptiles — see article on snakes on Page 22). Would that not be a fun hike? Imagine what Malissa’s trained eye sees during a spring walk in the Missouri woods. Imagine those same woods, but from a different viewpoint, and you have what Jeff may see with his expert eye. They’re both seeing the treasures that nature offers — just with a different lens.<

Isn’t that the gift of nature? It has so much to offer each of us with our particular interests. So, the fabulous speaker ended his talk this way: The next time he visited his mother? He found a jar full of coins. She’d changed the lens she was looking through and found treasures not seen before.

Jackpot.

Sara Parker Pauley, Director

SARA.PAULEY@MDC.MO.GOV