Obsessed With Rocks

You may think I’m off my rocker for writing a blog post on rocks, but I’ll go ahead and admit it: I love rocks! I have no idea why - but my obsession with them goes way back to when I was a kid...

Back in the day, I used to have a rock collection and thought any kind of quartz or crystal looking  rock that I found on the ground was simply beautiful. Years went by and I really didn't think about my love for rocks until my trip to Israel 20 years ago. As I was running up Masada, I kept noticing white rocks in the shape of hearts on the ground and started picking them up one by one as I saw them. They were smooth and all white or a very light gray, and in this special, faraway place it was a signal to me that Mother Nature was spreading her love. Pure inspiration...

You might ask, “ok - sounds great, but what did you do with all those rocks?” Well, when we got to Tel Aviv, I bought an antique clay oil lamp shaped like a dish and a small stand to put it on. I brought all of the rocks home and they have moved with us from Houston to California where they now adorn our living room table.

Collecting rocks is now a tradition for me, whether at home in the Santa Monica mountains, or somewhere new and unknown in the world. A couple of years ago on a trip to Asia, I actually found some interesting rocks while visiting the Great Wall of China. None of them were shaped like hearts - but they were each beautiful in their own right. They made it through customs and are sitting in a beautiful decorative piece on a bookshelf in our bedroom. I also have heart-shaped rocks from hiking in Aspen as well as rocks that resemble hearts from the red mountains of Utah all displayed in different places in our home. Believe it or not, I once received a UPS package with a heart rock inside it as a gift from a dear friend who found it on one of her hiking adventures.

I know it might sound weird, but these rocks all have a special place in my heart and make me smile whenever I see them. Anyone who has ever wondered why I wear a fanny pack while walking on the beach or hiking in the mountains, well…..now you know! Ah! The simple things in life!

What do you collect? Share photos of your collections with me!

Smooch!

xx Barbara