it. “Sure, you can think of yourselves as hopeless. But
why not view your situation in a positive light? It’s just a
matter of redirecting your outlook on life. Instead of
regarding your natural state as depressing, think of the
constancy of climate and terrain as stabilizing, reassuring.
In mental health, attitude is everything.”
“I’m not sure I follow you, man,” said another mushroom.
“Me neither, mate.”
“Be quiet, Mudge. Listen, existence is what you make
of it. How you view your surroundings will affect how you
feel about them.”
“How can we feel anything other than depressed in
surroundings like these?” wondered the liverworts.
“Right, then. If you feel more comfortable, go with
those thoughts. There’s nothing wrong with being de-
pressed and miserable all the time, so long as you feel
good about it. Have you ever felt bright and cheery?”
“No, no, no,” was the immediate and general consensus.
“Then how do you know that it’s any better than feeling
depressed and miserable? Maybe one’s no better than the
other.”
“That’s not what the other travelers who come our way
say,” murmured the toadstool, “before they relax, see it
our way, and settle down for a couple of months of steady
decomposition.”
Jon-Tom shivered slightly. “Sure, that’s what they say,
but do they look any better off, act any more contented,
any more in tune with their surroundings than you do?”
“Naturally they’re not as in tune with their surround-
ings,” said the first mushroom, “but these surroundings
are.. •”
“…Damp and depressing,” Jon-Tom finished for it.