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I was labeling my samples wrong for years and a kid at a rock show pointed it out
For a long time, I kept all my collected rocks in old cigar boxes, with little paper tags tucked next to them. I thought writing 'green rock, found near river' was good enough. Then, at a small gem and mineral show in Springfield, a boy, maybe ten years old, was looking at my display. He picked up a piece of serpentinite and asked, 'What makes it green?' I fumbled, saying it was just the color. His dad, who was with him, gently said the boy was learning about mineral composition in school. That was the moment. I realized I was just cataloging objects, not understanding them. I went home and spent the next week properly researching and labeling with actual mineral names and formation types. It changed how I see my whole collection. Has anyone else had a basic habit they needed to unlearn to get better at this hobby?
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