Bringing Chanterelles and Conversations to Light

This is an excerpt from the weekly News-Loveletter. If you would like it sent to your inbox directly (with all the other juicy bits, including a mini joy practice), you can add yourself to my mailing list here.

Preserving the Bounty

Such gratitude and bliss … ‘tis the season for wild mushrooming! The champagne-colored chanterelle is a feast for the eyes. The delicate folds of her spore-bearing bodice uphold a wide, tilted cap, smooth and cool to the touch.

Chanterelles are not always easy to spot, making their way to the sun through mounds of forest duff. A flash of earthy orange invites gentle exploration of the understory, probing beneath deadwood and spongy moss.

This year, we filmed for a YouTube episode during one of our mushroom outings. That raised a conversation between Trinidad and I about the line between private and public. I bridge this gap in my writing as well, and we both felt some tenderness discussing it. Trinidad did not want to falsely appear an expert. I resonate with this, intending only to share my knowledge and my practice. We are all experts on our own experience. And still, we have so much to learn from each other in the sharing!

After bringing the matter to light and turning it this way and that together, we found our comfort individually and in community.

Where and with whom do you unearth your private thoughts, gently shaking them loose from deep in the forest floor of your heart?

P.S. If you want to search for wild mushrooms, I suggest taking a class or doing a lot of research first, preferably with some experienced guidance.