So many of us seek out perfection. The perfectly manicured green grass. The carefully curated flower beds. The carefully lined up gardens.
Not me. I do seek out the beautiful, but not society’s version of what beautiful means. I seek out the beauty in the unusual. The beauty in the broken. The beauty in the previously unseen.
When I was walking my puppy (Hi Chester!) the other morning, I saw a grouping of these thin, pleated…weeds? I had never seen them before, but they were different and pretty, so I grabbed my camera.
I’m so glad I did because I found out that they are a type of mushroom known as a Pleated Inkcap, sometimes referred to as the Little Japanese Umbrella. I mean, can we just talk about how cute those names are?
Anyway, back to the Pleated Inkcap. Turns out they grow after a good, hard rain. The most fascinating thing is that they develop and decay within 24 hours. Blink and they’re gone. I almost missed them.
How many things in life do we miss because we’re distracted? Or we’re looking for the perfect rose and miss the perfection of a short-lived mushroom?
This world seems to turn faster and faster every day. I’m going to keep this picture with me to help me remember that life is short and time is fleeting. A gentle reminder to take the moments as they come and appreciate the beauty that shows itself to me, no matter how long it may last.
