The first fungi are thought to have appeared on Earth about 1 billion years ago, before both plants and animals. And about 400 million years ago, before trees covered the land, giant mushrooms called Prototaxites towered over Earth. Their stems could measure up to three feet in diameter, and their height reached up to 26 feet!

Genetically, humans (and all of the animal kingdom) are more similar to fungi than plants. We can contract many of the same viruses, and we both produce vitamin D in response to sunlight exposure.

But what role do these elders of our planet serve? Essentially, they're networks of transformation and communication. They create complicated webs, and transform that which decays.

Primarily, they're known for breaking down organic matter into new forms that other organisms can use. They also play a role in nature's communication. Mycelium (a network of fungi) transmits information through electrical impulses.

Simply put, they're catalysts of change.

Somewhat unlike fungi, humans can often have a different approach when confronted with the end of a cycle. We can feel the desire to cling to what we know, and to resist signs to transform.

But life equates change, and time is measured (and arguably created) through movement. The unpredictable nature of fluctuation is vital to our existence.

Fungi operate under the knowledge that there is always opportunity in the decomposition. So what is there in the decay that you can use in your next chapter? What opportunities exist in the areas that are coming to the end of their natural cycles? How can you transform the parts of yourself that no longer serve you into something new that does?

As we embrace the spring season, the parts we left in the past have transformed into something new, and will now begin to blossom. Focus on them. Feed them.

We are built to transform, so don't resist the change, embrace it. It's what will shoot you forward into who you're supposed to be.