Have you ever wondered why the home page picture on this site suddenly went from being a bright, beautiful sunflower to a much more subdued depiction of little rocks in a basket with strange tribal drawings on them?
Not "How nice!"
Or even, "I think it sucks!"
Just nothing . . .
Now, this could mean it looks as though it was supposed to be there in the first place! I'm saying that in the most selfish way, because that's how I feel about it.
See, I'm a rock hound. I believe all rocks have stories to tell. There's a mystical connection between them and me. Ever since childhood I've collected little rocks, and brought them home. That's what rock hounds DO!
I've collected rocks from almost every province in Canada. In addition unsuspecting, innocently-just-lying-there rocks have been pocketed in Hawaii, South Africa, Beirut, Australia, Singapore, Flinders Island, Greece, Portugal, Gozo, and Malta.
In New Zealand the Maori people presented me with two beautiful smooth largish rocks, both jet black. How did they know? I'd never even mentioned how much I loved rocks.
Other people see mountains. I look with open mouthed admiration and wonder at those fantastic seams in the huge rock formations. The folds in them are spectacular!
I look at the outcrops. I visualize how they all happened to get there in the first place. Rocks tell stories, loud and clear, if only you're prepared to listen. They hide nothing, and they always connect and ground you to Mother Earth.
We expect our world to be fast now. We're arrogant enough to really believe that civilization begins and ends with us. But long after we have gone, the rocks will stand in their many huge forms, hiding the secrets of billions of years beneath them. Climate changes have come and gone, as have various civilizations. We're just a blip in the scheme of things.
I've never met a rock I didn't like. They can be a bit of a nuisance when they fall into the road ahead of you, but other than that, they're all pretty nice. This seems to be a universal feeling.
Most sayings about rocks are positive . . . Think about rock stars, steady as a rock , and people who rock meaning they're really good!
Back to the basket of rocks!
Those are some of my teaching rocks.
There must be many of them around, because I've drawn the animal symbols on them and used them in teaching many times. My students and friends have been recipients of them, and they don't give them back!
These are rocks that have the mystical power of helping those in crisis, especially bereavement and loss, to understand their own needs, and to carry on in a happier and more confident frame of mind.
I don't know of anyone who has thrown one of those rocks away.
Vicki