Pavement Mushrooms (Agaricus Bitorquis) really inspire me. Their texture does not seem very strong and they are easily bruised, but somehow bit-by-bit they seem to be able to nudge at pavements inches thick and eventually break through without damaging themselves. These unique fungi “may be found growing in gardens, and at roadsides, often where salt is applied to combat ice in winter. Pushing through asphalt and slabs, they are very subterranean, and often mature underground” http://bit.ly/126rHJQ. “They are fairly rare, but where they do occur these mushrooms are more often seen in small groups rather than singletons” http://bit.ly/1cYFSC6
I find myself reflecting on why that inspires me so much and why, whenever I see one, I have to stop, examine it and reflect on what it has achieved.
For me it seems to throw out a challenge that we too, despite being quite fragile and easily bruised, can break up the hard ground around us that seems set and permanent. I love the idea that they mature underground, out of site, and then when mature they have the strength to break up pavements and lift slabs of stone. I am interested by the fact that they often dwell in salty and, I would suggest, inhospitable places. Also, that they are not solitary but are often found in groups.
There is something here that resonates with my passion for loosely connecting people (Connecting the Connectors). People, who together have the potential to break up the ground and bring change to systems and structures they perceive are not working but have seemingly been set in stone.
I find myself reflecting on why that inspires me so much and why, whenever I see one, I have to stop, examine it and reflect on what it has achieved.
For me it seems to throw out a challenge that we too, despite being quite fragile and easily bruised, can break up the hard ground around us that seems set and permanent. I love the idea that they mature underground, out of site, and then when mature they have the strength to break up pavements and lift slabs of stone. I am interested by the fact that they often dwell in salty and, I would suggest, inhospitable places. Also, that they are not solitary but are often found in groups.
There is something here that resonates with my passion for loosely connecting people (Connecting the Connectors). People, who together have the potential to break up the ground and bring change to systems and structures they perceive are not working but have seemingly been set in stone.