Dear Friend, Have you heard of Millie the Mushroom? She’s the mushroom who longs to see the sky beyond her dungeon of mycelium magic below the earth. She’s also the one who learns the lessons of time and waits for the right moment to pop. Or perhaps you’ve heard of Lizard. Yes, Lizard, whose life abruptly ended after Eagle swooped him from his favorite wall where he basked in the sun. It was Lizard who was given a funeral in his honor to remind him and all of us that we matter. Or maybe, just maybe, you heard news of Wind, who at first wrestled with her unabashed fierceness. That is, until later, she realized how crucial she was. That in all her big ways, it was Wind who spread the seeds of ancestors from faraway lands like Burma to the United States. Clearly, you never had the chance to know their stories—until now. For they are tales my students created during our Stories from the Earth workshop in late January into February. These tales of Mushroom, Lizard, and Wind, weave a love story from nature, while also inviting each person to discover their own story, their own nature that longs to share itself. Beyond these chronicles, how often do we pass a lizard, a mushroom, or feel the wind at our back, and ask ourselves, what’s their story? How often do we invite ourselves to discover our own story—our own place of belonging inside the nature of things? A month ago, as I sat in the warm New Mexico (U.S.A) sun (yes, even in the winter), I observed the purple flowers crumpled inside the wet, green tea leaves in my cup. I pondered their journey. How far had these leaves and flowers come to sit here with me at my table, in my back yard? That same morning, a bee landed on my hand. I wondered what her story was, and that of the crows that had cawed all morning, waking me from my sleep. What was their tale? I wonder what would happen if all of us, for just one moment, stopped long enough to ask the smallest and biggest elements of nature to tell us their story. Perhaps, in listening, watching, and waiting just long enough, we will finally experience our place, our own story, as part of the whole, woven deeply into this miraculous web of life. That is my delicious wish for us all, including my workshop students who, every time, amaze me with their tales of wonder they bring forth. I hope you enjoy their stories included below! From my heart to yours. For the Earth. Michelle Adam 
Millie the Mushroom (excerpt) by Katalin Soni “I’m used to the dark. The soil is my home. The underground world is all that I know. But why am I so different?” Millie the Mushroom wonders. “Millie” the soft voice of Elder Oak resonates through her. “Chances are, one day you will see the upper world. Many before you have. One day, the conditions will be just right - and voila! Up you’ll pop! Millie the mushroom! My child, these things cannot be rushed. In fact, perhaps it’s best you just forget about all that for now. Millie the mycelium is already quite the miracle, you know…” Elder Oak’s gentle, nurturing voice fades into the space and fills Millie’s body. “Push and pull, stress and strain that’s what tires and dulls the brain. Always noting what you lack keeps one small and holds one back.” Millie drops into the hypnotic lullaby and feels a spaciousness expand within her. Bobbing like a buoy on a pristine, turquoise tropical bay, her hyphae are like seaweed, effortlessly swaying in the current. Her mind is quiet. She is an atmosphere of lightness.  LIZARD (excerpt from “Lizard’s Funeral”) By Matt Glasser I reminded Lizard that he had played an important role in the lives of so many of his friends and family, just a few of whom we heard from today. And I think that he would not have been unhappy to know that his life would end as it did. Although he had a sense that his time was near, I am sure he was surprised when he was snatched off his wall, in the middle of a nap, by an eagle. I imagine that she kept part of his body for herself and fed the rest to her chicks. And that is as it should be. Too many lizards today are run over by cars or eat some poison that humans have left around. These deaths are frustrating and can feel purposeless. But Lizard became part of the cycle of life, and that is perhaps the best end that any of us can hope for. Comments are closed.
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