Appreciation post: My neighbor's comment about the rocks in my garden made me see them differently

I was showing my neighbor, Frank, the new rock border I put in around my flower bed last weekend. I was just proud of the work. He's an older guy, a retired surveyor. He picked up one of the bigger, flat stones, turned it over, and said, 'You know, this one's been traveling for a few million years to get here.' He pointed out the smooth, rounded edges from a river and the different colored layers. I'd just seen them as gray rocks from the landscaping supply place. But he made me think about the actual journey each one took, from being part of a mountain to tumbling down a stream to ending up in a pile in Bakersfield. It hit different because it wasn't a lecture, just a simple observation from someone who looks at the ground for a living. Now I can't help but wonder about the story behind every rock I pick up. Has anyone else had a simple moment like that change how you look at ordinary stones?

3 comments

3 Comments

wadea532mo ago

Man, that's awesome. Frank gets it. I see stuff like that all the time on my night walks home. You stop seeing sidewalks and start seeing old concrete full of bits of who knows what. It doesn't have to be a big deal to make you pause. That guy valthomas is missing the point. It's not about making a big story, it's just noticing. Makes the whole world less boring.

troy_ross2mo ago

Read a book about local geology that totally did this for me. It talked about how the gravel in my driveway is mostly pieces of an ancient seabed, full of tiny fossil bits. Now every time I kick a stone I wonder if it's a little piece of some sea creature from a hundred million years ago. It makes the whole world feel deeper, like everything has a hidden story. Frank sounds like a cool guy to have around.

valthomas2mo ago

Okay but sometimes a rock is just a rock. People get way too deep about ordinary stuff. That gravel got crushed by a machine and dumped by a truck. The fossil bits are so small you need a microscope. It's neat, but you're basically kicking around old pavement. Not every stone needs a whole backstory.