Why I Write Kindness on Rocks

On January 1, 2007 I sat at home feeling totally uninspired wondering what I would do this year to make the world a better place. I thought about spreading kindness but that it had to be for no reward. No one could know it was me, there could be no pats on the back, no recognition…. it had to somehow be a pure and selfless act. As my eyes wondered to one of my favorite rocks I got it! Kindness Rocks! For some reason I have always loved rocks, I paint rocks, I decorate rocks, I put them in my garden, I have them in my house, I drag them from beaches, the side of roads, fields, shelves at stores, where ever. I laugh because often my sister and I exchange rocks as presents.

The connection hit me like a "rock"................of course.............literally kindness rocks it is one of the most awesome things in the world to be kind or to receive kindness from another. My 2007 project was born, for one year I would write kindness on rocks, leave them anonymously around the community and see what would happen. I swore myself and my son to secrecy and began the work of writing kindness on beautiful polished rocks that I believed someone might pick up and treasure.

Very quietly I began leaving the rocks at phone booths, by pop machines, on counters, on benches. Anywhere that I felt it would be obvious it was meant to be taken. Often I would leave them on my way in somewhere and they would already be gone by the time I left. It was the most wonderful feeling in the world to know that my kindness rocks just might brighten someone’s day or inspire someone to kindness.

Six weeks later at work, happy in my secret pursuit I began working with a team of youth to develop a video to promote our Pay it forward Comox Valley project. I explained our vision of the project, the concept of pay it forward spreading kindness through the sharing of stories and the ripple effect that would be felt throughout the community.

One week later I sat at my desk in shock as the youth showed me their story board of the video concept. It started with a circle of people passing a small rock with kindness written on it…….every hair on the back of my neck stood up as they explained how the rock would get bigger and bigger until it took everyone in the circle to take it to the waters edge and drop the rock in the water creating a ripple that would go on and on. The final shot would be that of the rock with the word kindness in bright white shining from under the water and the ripples would be seen moving away from the rock.

After picking myself up off of the floor………(not literally), I realized that I could no longer keep my secret, I could no longer keep the joy of spreading my kindness rocks to myself, it is so much bigger than me, I had wanted a totally selfless act but it only become selfless when I shared my kindness rather than when I kept it a secret.

Bev Moquin
Executive Director
CVCISS/ValleyLinks
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