It all began in 2015 on a beach on Cape Cod. A lady by the name of Megan Murphy decided to write “You’ve Got This” on a rock and left it on the beach, only to have a friend discover it. After that she continued to write inspirational messages on rocks and left them all over.

The painting of pebbles/rocks evolved into having many variations. For example, they can be used to support particular charities, events or movements. It is also a fun activity for kids. No matter, the rocks generally are meant to be discovered, photographed and posted on, say, Facebook and then re-hid in a different spot. Some rocks are intended to be taken as far as possible, while others are intended to stay in the same city or region. Usually the instructions and even some hashtages will be on the back.

Sometimes I, myself, feel a little behind the times. I literally just learned about the kindness rock concept earlier this year. I was out on a hike with my husband and I saw one of these rocks, photographed it and looked into the whole concept. . . I am just starting to paint rocks, too. Maybe you found one of my rocks and that’s why you’re here?

During these difficult times – with the COVID-19 pandemic and the recent racial tensions and riots – it is a great project that we can all participate in and encourage one another or just simply brighten another’s day.

I totally admire some people’s level of artistic skill/creativity as well as others’ ability to just brighten my day with a simple picture or words of encouragement. It’s also fun to get out and go “hunting” for these rocks.

It is, in my opinion, part of the American experience, the American spirit to come up with creative ideas and projects to share and care with/for one another.

Should you feel encouraged to paint your own rocks and to leave them behind for others, the advice I’ve been given is to use acrylics (either paint or markers), a sealant (such as mod podge outdoor). Also there are some places, such as Disneyland and some state parks, that do not allow kindness rocks to be placed. Be sure to do a little research on that.

Have a great day, happy rock hunting and happy rock painting! You can also visit the Kindness Rocks Project website to look into it more. Be sure to visit Facebook/Instagram to find out more information, local groups, etc. Also, YouTube has plenty of videos on rock painting.