Kindness ROCKS!

THANK YOU!

Exiting the gym a while back, I looked down and this was at my feet.  It was one of those days when I wasn't able to lift the weights I thought I should.  Also, gyms tend to have these things called mirrors on all the walls, and I wasn't particularly happy with what I saw in them, either.  Kind of a downer gym day. At least I went.

But then this message serendipitously appeared.

As I discovered later, there's a whole movement with these rocks, The Kindness Rocks Project.  Here are the website and FaceBook page!  

The Project's mission states, "One message at just the right moment can change someone's entire day, outlook, life."

Wow.

All I know is this particular rock was exactly what I needed at that moment.  Thank you, whoever left it.  You made my day brighter.

I found out about the Project through an article in the Spring 2018 issue of National Parks magazine, "Between a (Kindness) Rock and a Hard Place."  People have been leaving kindness rocks in national parks.  Nice thought, but against park rules and Leave No Trace principles.  There has been some acrimonious online debate about whether leaving painted rocks should be allowed in the national parks.

The Kindness Rocks Project and affiliated local groups have clear guidelines about using non-toxic paints and sealants, asking permission to leave rocks in public spaces and at private businesses, and being respectful of the environment, including not leaving rocks at national parks.

If you think about it, leaving painted rocks at national parks and monuments is sort of like graffiti.  Imagine if one percent of the hundreds of thousands of people who visit public lands each left a kindness rock.  Oh my!  Again, nice thought, but I don't want to see cutesy painted rocks at Gettysburg, Yellowstone, or Mount Rushmore.

Now, don't get me wrong - I think kindness rocks are a great idea and an emotional boost when you randomly come across one.  I just don't think they're appropriate on national public lands.  My opinion, for what it's worth.

As a leader of a local group in Maryland was quoted in the article, "The whole point of it is kindness, so we have to make sure we are also kind to nature."