Community

I saw an April Fool’s day foraging trip for morel mushrooms. Russ and I are both open to falling in love with morels, but the ones we bought in the grocery store didn’t impress. I guess the thrill of the hunt was contagious because that didn’t dissuade either of us from continuing to look forward to mucking about looking during the season.

We’d like to know the secret in finding them and would also like to make them grow in our yard, mostly for the challenges both represent. A good supply of fresh morels to practice with might also give us the chance to learn what others see in them, or at the very least, make a friend happy.

April 1 was a weekday. I encouraged Russ to take a needed mental health day. He didn’t feel he could do that, but told me to go without him. I knew before I went that the weather was dry, and the adventure was likely to morph into a spring ephemerals hike.

On the day of the trip, I got one grandchild ready for school, then got her to school. The 4 year old, was up when I got back. I fixed her breakfast and started getting myself ready for the two and a half hour drive. I was running out of spare time. I told her I’d be leaving soon and I was mentally preparing her for me to walk out the door, so when she called “Grandma” I didn’t answer right away. In fact, I didn’t answer till the 4th call out. Then I said “Yes?” She said “I love you”. I said “I love you too, so much”. We hugged. I finished putting gear and water in the car and hugged her good bye.

I got in my car and was about to crank it when I saw my son in the drive on his way out, but he looked like he was thinking about saying something, so I opened the door. It’s faster than rolling down the window, and asked him if he wanted something. The little one wanted to give me another hug. I got out of the car and we hugged. There is always time to respond to love with love, even if it’s the third hug inside 5 minutes.

Loving my children’s children is the biggest way I love my children these days. Once my daughter said that when I do something to or for her child, she feels it like I did it to or for her. I don’t know how many parents of littles can articulate that, but I think many of them feel it, even if they don’t know it. I think we all feel a bit of that about the people we love, and those bonds don’t have to be based on genetics or vows. In fact, the feeling kind of extends to everyone and everything. The way we love, or at least respect, who and what others love makes so much difference.

As we approach Earth Day in a world increasingly at risk, I think more about community and what sustains it. I move closer to the concept that seeing all those living plants and beings that create the beauty and ecosystems services that sustain as our our community is the key to more abundance and less abuse. How we love and respect our community will make all the difference to everyone and everything that is to be. It’s how we make the biggest difference for the people we care about.

Books this week are:

Becoming Kin by Patty Krawec

and

What if We Get It Right? by Ayana Elizabeth Johnson

There are ideas in both books that will really be stretch concepts for many readers. How many problems we could solve if political boundaries coincided with watersheds was one I truly loved.