Small Kindnesses
by Danusha LamérisI’ve been thinking about the way, when you walk
down a crowded aisle, people pull in their legs
to let you by. Or how strangers still say “bless you”
when someone sneezes, a leftover
from the Bubonic plague. “Don’t die,” we are saying.
And sometimes, when you spill lemons
from your grocery bag, someone else will help you
pick them up. Mostly, we don’t want to harm each other.
We want to be handed our cup of coffee hot,
and to say thank you to the person handing it. To smile
at them and for them to smile back. For the waitress
to call us honey when she sets down the bowl of clam chowder,
and for the driver in the red pick-up truck to let us pass.
We have so little of each other, now. So far
from tribe and fire. Only these brief moments of exchange.
What if they are the true dwelling of the holy, these
fleeting temples we make together when we say, “Here,
have my seat,” “Go ahead—you first,” “I like your hat.”
Have you seen them? Little painted rocks are popping up in neighborhoods everywhere! Hand-painted bumblebees and intricate mandalas, motivational sayings and whole landscapes are being painted on smooth stones and left for strangers to find. It’s a wonderful trend of creativity and kindness that is sweeping the country. Some call it kindness rocks or simply community rock sharing. Here’s how it works …
Someone (anyone, really!) paints a rock with a spiritual mandala, beautiful design or inspiring word. Then (s)he hides it somewhere in the community for a stranger to find and enjoy. The person who finds the painted rock is invited to take a picture of the found work of art and post it to that community’s Facebook rock page. Around Prairiewoods, there are Facebook pages for Cedar Rapids Rocks and Iowa Rocks. (To find the rock group nearest you, simply go to Facebook and search your city, county or state name plus “rocks.”) The finder is invited to rehide the rock for someone else to stumble upon or to keep the rock and paint another one for others to find. It’s a wonderful exchange of creativity, kindness and simple joy!
Over the last few years, as this trend has grown, Prairiewoods has offered 31 rock painting workshops with more than 500 people in attendance. Dozens have continued this fun pastime on their own after class is over.
You are invited to join our movement of creativity and kindness. Gather a few smooth rocks, rinse them under running water and, once they are dry, use acrylic paints to create the design of your choice. (Google “rock painting” for some great samples and tutorials on how to paint rocks.) After you’ve painted a rock, hide it for a stranger to find. And if you find a rock, take a picture of it, post it to Facebook and pass it along. Delight in the knowledge that kindness really does rock!
A few questions to ponder:
How can painting a rock be an act of kindness?
How can a small act of kindness impact the world?
What small kindness can you do for someone else today?
—Andi Lewis, Prairiewoods Marketing Coordinator