KINDNESS ROCKS. Several weeks ago, I began finding small rocks, painted with inspirational quotes, around RV parks and at the beach. They were in plain view, unlike geocaches which are carefully hidden. Have you guys seen these kinds of rocks, just lying around on the ground? “What’s going on with this?” I wondered. So I checked it out and here’s what I learned.
Who’d have ever guessed I’d put a post on my blog about Kindness Rocks? Not too many years ago I wouldn’t have been “caught dead” posting such a silly thing, much less thinking about painting a rock on a rainy day. But now, it seems kind of fun and I’m no longer much concerned about what folks think! What about you?
THE ART OF CONNECTION. The “Kindness Rocks Project” is all about the “art of connection.” The goal is simple: “To promote random acts of kindness to unsuspecting recipients, whether by painting and dropping inspirational rocks or in some other cool creative way, to bring kindness into the world.” Hmmm, what a great idea! I don’t know if it’s just kids who are painting and then dropping the rocks or whether some adults are participating as well. But after first thinking it was a silly craze, I find myself looking for these things on walks through the forest or around the lake. Sometimes, after I find one, I’ll move it to an entirely different location and “re-drop it.” Maybe, just so I’ll have something to do on a rainy day, I’ll even collect some smooth river rocks myself. After a quick trip to Ace hardware for paint and brushes,I can be ready to spend a rainy afternoon creating Kindness Rocks myself.
I began finding these “kindness rocks” dropped on the ground several weeks ago.
Paint whatever you want.
GIVE IT A TRY. I loved the movie “Pay it Forward” and I’ll bet you did, too. Painting and dropping these rocks is an easy way to live it. And it’s a great conversation starter. It’s also a lot less expensive and challenging than geocaching! Having spent a lot of money on sophisticated hand-held GPS devices to self-inflict frustration when I couldn’t ever find the darn “prizes,” no matter how hard I tried. I’m glad I’ve now learned about Kindness Rocks. So the next time you’re taking a walk in the park or at the beach, keep your eyes open. You might just find a Kindness Rock in your path. Or perhaps you’ll find yourself wading along a rushing stream looking for smooth river rocks so you can paint your own Kindness Rocks when you return home. Anything’s possible if you’re not constrained by “what others might think.”
I’ll continue my story next time.
A few years ago, before this became a craze, I was hiking on the Dungeness Spit, in Washington and found a nice round rock hidden among the other large rocks. The side showing was painted like a nice flower. I picked it up and on the other side was written ” I’ll Always Love You”. I placed it back in it’s hidden space and thought about the story of the rock.