Advent 3: Of Lichens and Mystery

And on knowing what we don't know

Several years ago I was sitting on my back porch listening to my kids having a conversation while they built towers from random bits of wood collected to be “loose parts” to inspire the imagination. I overheard my oldest tell my youngest that lichens were neither plants nor animals. I was surprised, but also figured he was probably right as he has a gift for remembering things like that. I quickly googled it and discovered he was correct: lichens are neither plants nor animals and while classified with fungi, they aren’t really that either. Rather they are a constant symbiosis of a fungus and an algae, and as we’ve studied them further, we’ve discovered even more parts making lichen miniature systems that we still don’t understand. 

What I do understand is the more I learn the more convinced I am that everything is connected. All of life is a vast tapestry. Just because we don’t see or understand the connections doesn’t mean they don’t exist. To pull one thread here may unravel somethi…