I love rocks

I love rocks. Not the fancy kind of rocks like sparkling diamonds or precious minerals (although I love agates too). I mean plain ol' rocks you find on the ground while you're out for a walk in the woods, on the beach, or even around a suburban neighborhood. The kind of rocks I like are round or oval, and usually some tone of gray. They may be mottled or speckled. What's to love in an ordinary rock like that?

Well, a couple of years ago I became resigned to the fact that I should walk every day, and made it my New Year's Resolution. On January 1st I took my yellow Lab out for a half an hour, and eventually he helped to motivate me to get out the door for a walk every morning. I got the idea that every time I took a walk I should pick up a rock along the way as a physical symbol of my commitment. I would look around for the best rock I could find and this would actually make me walk longer and turned the walk into kind of a treasure hunt. Eventually, I had filled a small vase with rocks. I had walked every day for a month!

I collected over 300 rocks that year and I had a new good habit ingrained into my routine. I put the rocks into silver dishes;

I put them into birdbaths;

And then I started putting them in my artwork.

I put them on frames;

I put them in nature collections;

http://www.etsy.com/listing/73444030/nature-collection-shadowbox

I put them on boxes;

http://www.etsy.com/listing/70641656/kitschy-agate-jewelry-box

I even made them into jewelry.

http://velvetonthepage.blogspot.com/2011/05/how-to-make-earrings-out-of-buttons-and.html

I just think plain, gray rocks like this are so organic and simple and beautiful. However, I also love rocks that look ordinary on the outside but which you can crack open and find something extraordinary inside. Thundereggs (geodes) are the state rock of Oregon. It's fun to think something secret could be hidden inside all those rocks.

One of the strangest experiences I had picking up rocks was when we were walking along the bank of the McKenzie River in Eugene and I looked down and saw this message from the universe written on a rock:

Just a reminder to look down, keep your eyes open and look for beauty in ordinary things.