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Hidden Dimensions: What Wild Mushrooms Taught Me About Joy & Freedom

and heeding the heart song

8 years ago i followed the tiny breadcrumbs my heart was leaving around. I was just learning to do this work- this joy work- digging myself out of the depression of survival as a single mother of two/full-time student/ restaurant server.

Two mushroom and plant identification guidebooks resting on a person's lap in a car. The first book is titled 'Wildflowers of Nevada and Placer California', and the second is 'Mushrooms of the Redwood Coast'.

I was dreaming about mushrooms, and foraging for them in the sub-and-urban places i was living.

A woven basket filled with various mushrooms, flowers, and small oranges, resting on a bed of green foliage.

I found amanita muscaria along a  busy road- a sign of changes.I found psilocybe cyanenses during a desperate break from a shift as a server during the sunset, in the woodchips by the restaurant, a sign of hidden dimensions all around me, waiting to be discovered. 

A collection of various mushrooms, including Amanita muscaria and Psilocybe cyanescens, placed among objects like a lighter, a blue toy, and a jar in a compartment.
A hand holding a few mushrooms alongside a pink flower, with foliage and ground visible in the background.
A close-up view of small mushrooms growing among fallen leaves and wood chips on the forest floor, showcasing earthy tones and natural textures.
A collection of various mushrooms displayed in a container, including amanita muscaria and psilocybe cyanescens, with some labeled with yellow notes.

The mushroom led me to a new reality where i lived in the woods with the fiery love of my life, a wild mycologist who has wrapped me in their arms and showed me all the magical places in the hills mountains valleys and forests to mushroom hunt-

And wander among wildflower meadows.

A man and a woman share a close, intimate moment while standing together indoors, both smiling softly. The woman wears a bikini with a pineapple print and a green bandana around her neck, while the man wears shorts. The background features a map and a poster related to mushrooms.

*This happened nearly overnight, when i said YES. when i reached out to a facebook acquaintance i once had a crush on in a community college humanities class turned state-wide mushroom expert and commercial forager.

I practically begged- “could you please let me tag along on your next mushroom hunt?”

I had just woken up from a dream where the forest floor was crunching beneath my feet, a basket in my hand, when i messaged this person.*

A person standing among colorful wildflowers in a sunny mountainous area, wearing outdoor attire and a hat.

One day high in the mountains with the chorus of thunder and wildflowers and laughter we made vows to each other and my sister married us. (click here to read the *wedding post*)

A couple standing hand in hand on a rocky mountaintop, wearing floral crowns, with a panoramic view of mountains and a lake under a cloudy sky.
thunder song 7/26/2019

6 years later we brought our 3 year old wildflower mushroom finder daughter-

A young child joyfully holding a mushroom while standing on a rock near a creek, surrounded by tall trees and pink wildflowers in a forest setting.

The brightest jewel of our heart’s and wild love. I wanted her to see where she came from:

A young child wearing a purple poncho plays by the edge of a serene lake, holding a stick, with mountains and trees in the background under a cloudy sky.
A person holding a young child in a lush, green mountainous area with trees and clouds in the background.

Born of summer wildflowers and mushroom dreams- dreams that show the deepest burning of the heart- of desires of freedom and true joy-

A family of three stands on a rocky mountaintop, smiling together against a backdrop of gray clouds and distant mountains.
thunder song and hail adventure! 7/26/2025
A scenic view of a tranquil lake surrounded by mountains and trees, featuring bright orange wildflowers on rocky ground under a cloudy sky.

Happiest 6 years of matrimonial bliss/realness to my wildcat lover-

A close-up of orange and yellow columbine flowers in a lush green meadow, with dark storm clouds gathering over distant mountains.

We live in the woods with the trees and bears and raise our children and tend our garden and young fruit trees.

We dream even bigger these days, with the faith that anything is possible.

In fungi and flora and heart we trust.

what do you love? what breadcrumbs are your heart leaving for you to find?

with the flowers and the tiny wildflower gnome,

dolly <3

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