The forest is calling…

Friday, 24th of March 2023 [54]

Hello #FungiFriday community, I’m back!

I didn’t bring many mushrooms today, but I feel like I deserve the medal anyway. For my sweat and wet clothes at least. Ok, mushrooms too!

Do you eve feeling like you’ve been avoiding the things you love for whatever the reason and when you’re back doing it again you wonder why have you been so cruel to yourself?

That’s how I felt walking around the forest today. Yet I never find the reasons why I do it. I mean avoid doing things I love. Could it be cause it feels like an effort? The comfort zone, which is my sofa really feels so comfortable that everything else feels like too much effort.

The only thing that is an exception from this rule is of course dancing. I’ll happily get off my sofa for dancing and I’ll travel to far away destination and even bear people I don’t wanna be around, just to find myself on the dance floor for a few minutes of connection with another human and music.

But hey… this was NOT meant to be about dancing. There are many other things I love doing and walking around the forest is sure one of them. Yet I haven’t visited it for weeks? Bad weather is sure a great excuse and the weather was mainly miserable here in uk in the past few weeks.

Today I have been fighting with my comfort zone since the morning.

Let’s go to the forest.
Maybe later.
It’s raining.
It’s miserable.
Let’s kill some zombies.
Oh look, the sun came out.
Too little too late.
Well, now it’s getting late.
Ok, let’s go!

So off I go. Phone says it’s only 40% of rain, but I put the rain jacket just in case. And wellies of course! At least the beginning of thw walk was pleasant. I noticed the magnolia tree from the neighbours on the other side of the road is in bloom already. I nearly missed it this year.

Well, other than this the case was that it rained. I wanted to ignore the blossoms, but they lured me in with a divine fragrance. ‘Come closer, smell us’ - they said.

So I did. For a moment I forgot about the rain and enjoyed the simple beauty of those tiny flowers. I considered staying under the bridge until the rain stops, but from there it looked like it’s slowing down, so I braved into the elements.

The forest welcomed me with a muddy patch and it only went worse from there. It rained harder and harder and I imagined how wet I would be if I decided to wear my usual jacket.

Then is rained even harder. Almost a torrential rain that reduced the visibility and I didn’t dare to take my phone out of the pocket.

‘Even if there were any mushrooms, they’re all melted by now after this ridiculous rain’ I thought to myself.

A part of me really wanted to walk back, but I was already so wet that the rain was dripping from my fringe allover my face and I thought it can’t get any worse than this.

‘Momma nature will surely make it worthwhile’ I thought again, while having close to zero belief in it.

There is however something so freeing in reaching out of your comfort zone. Once you’ve made that first step, you just don’t wanna stop. It becomes exciting and you’re curious what will you stumble across this time round. You just need to find out.

As usual in the forest, after some time of walking I went into a sort of meditation state. I got lost daydreaming and stopped noticing the rain. Just another step and another and I stopped caring if the walk will turn out mushroom-less.

Before I realised the sun was out again.

And soon enough, there were mushrooms too:

And like in life, I arrived at yet another crossroads. There are plenty of those around. Every day we decide which road to take. The one that lets us sit in peace on the sofa or the one that makes us completely soaked, but also full of endorphins released after a long walk.

Today I chose the latter. There were way too many sofa days recently. Sofa days bring immediate comfort, but also prolong the low vibe feeling of lack of achievement and disappointment of wasting another days.

Today was rainy and seemed miserable, but being in the forest and breathing it all in was priceless. There was another perk of walking in the rain. There was not a soul around. Maybe except for the deer, who run away startled by my steps.

Soon enough the mushroom-less walk turned into mushoom-full one. Only the kind that could withstand the amount of rain we’ve been expariencing for weeks on end.

A whole big bunch of them. Not melted, but there was another fungi already growing on this bunch.

I do love it when the moss grows all around them. In fact I do love mosses too.

Seems like the less I cared about finding more mushrooms, the more I stumbled across. Mainly in groups. There are social beings, always connected by invisible micelium.

Unlike humans. Disconnected and everyone is out for themselves.

Ok, ok. I make it sound more gloom than it is. There are some nice humans around. I’m lucky to find a bunch wherever I go. In my company there are many Polish guys and 2 of them I get to talk to the most, as we work closely and they often go outside at breaks, like me.

Workwise they can be a nightmare, but I do love to spend breaks with them. They are utterly hilarious. They make me belly laugh even during the most miserable days at work. That’s a skill I very much appreciate in people. Laughing is so very important for our wellbeing.

I can’t say I laughed in the forest, but the views, the songs of brids, the scent of the forest… they all made me smile for sure. Like always - momma nature made it all worthwhile again.

If not mushrooms, then some beautiful moss figures and twisted trees.

And then I stubled across something that looked like a snow.

I was utterly surprised, as we had barely any snow this winter. I had to squat and take a closer look.
Ok… I touched it too! It felt spongy in some parts and jelly-like in others.

I’ve really never seen anything like this. But while I was squatting, I was at the right level to notice another bunch happily sitting on the old brunch.

Then I continued on my walk. For a moment I was tempted to change the direction and go capture some flowers, but I was already shaking from the cold caused by my wet clothes.

I walked faster past the banks where I usually find some chanterelles. It will be good few months before I see them here again.

I stopped once more to capture another happy bunch.

Then I speed up my steps again. I thought I’ve seen it all, when suddenly I noticed a bunch of ‘normies’.

How did they even manage to survive all that rain, I don’t know, but I was happy to see them. Finally something with a leg and gills 😁

Then nearby some more of the tree brunch loving ones. This time in a striking green colour.

Ok, last weird bunch and I’m off!

After this point I still had around half an hour walk back home and I was getting really cold. I picked up the pace and decided not to look for anymore mushrooms. I was satisfied with my finds.

No more mushrooms, but the moss looks so pretty… I had to reach for my phone once more.

I was almost out of the forest when I saw something bright yellow. Oh my! Cute miniature daffodills. I totally missed them on my way in, cause you know… my eyes were blinded by the rain.

10k steps later, I’m back home soaked and happy.

Happy #FungiFriday to @ewkaw and the rest of mushroom loving bunch!

Until next time 💙