Monday, August 25, 2014

Mindfulness and mushrooms



Do you ever get in the mode where you see something every day but don’t really notice it?
I do. For example, I walk out to the car every day to go to work or to go elsewhere. I look around the yard, but I don’t really see it.
Lately, we’ve had more rain than usual, and even when the rain isn’t falling, the days have been cloudy.
The other day, I walked across the backyard for the first time in several days, and I couldn’t believe the number of mushrooms I saw.
An abundance of mushrooms. Brown, red, yellow, off-white. Big, small, alone, in groups.
I don’t remember ever seeing this many at one time.






I took a few photos with my phone. But I knew I needed to do a real study of what was going on in my yard. And that required my big girl camera.
So I spent some time wandering around in the yard with my camera, trying to capture the oddly shaped fungi among the grass.










It has been a while since I’ve taken the camera out. I just haven’t felt motivated. The mushrooms provided me with a nudge. And I knew I needed to get outside and behind the lens of the camera and see what I could see.
It calms me to take photos. I think it’s because I have to be in the present moment when I’m taking photos. I have to concentrate on the object I’m photographing and on how I want the picture to turn out.
I don’t ruminate about the past. I don’t get anxious about the future.
In other words, I practice mindfulness.


What’s been going on in nature where you live?

12 comments:

  1. Love the photos, Tina! I think most of us have times where we walk by things and never really see them...until we realize it and decide to take notice.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Wow this is an amazing variety of mushrooms. I see a lot while hiking - usually growing at the base of trees. I don't think I've closely examined them though. The next time I go hiking I will try to snap some pics :)

    ReplyDelete
  3. fancy fungi!!! we have a LOT of weeds going on where i live and the hubs is NOT interested!!!!

    ReplyDelete
  4. beautiful and interesting lifeforms, aren't they? very cool.

    ReplyDelete
  5. You've been passing these little beauties for a while. It's surprising how many varieties can grow right in your yard.

    ReplyDelete
  6. I love to see the variety of mushrooms popping up at this time of year. They're magical!

    ReplyDelete
  7. We have had a lot of funky mushrooms here too. They are interesting!

    ReplyDelete
  8. Great shots! You really do have a nice variety of mushrooms. They're so pretty.

    We are having continued dry, warm weather, which is good for my tomatoes and tomatillos. I'm keeping a close eye on the apples, pears, and figs.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Great post. There's so much I haven't been seeing and doing because of my latest bout of depression, but now that the fog is lifting I'm trying to open my eyes again. It helps to keep the depression from returning.

    ReplyDelete
  10. Those photos are great, as always! Love the variety. :-)

    ReplyDelete
  11. What an interesting collection of mushrooms. I can see how they could prompt you into picking up your big girl camera again!! Happy week!

    ReplyDelete
  12. I see them every fall, especially at my cottage up in northern Michigan. But I don't think I've ever seen so many beautiful and diverse ones as you have!

    ReplyDelete

Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.