Can a rock make you smile?

I bet my family gets tired of me saying “Oh, look at those rocks!!” For some reason, the differences in geology around the country has fascinated me. I love looking at the different rocks and rock structures. What’s more is when you find a rock that speaks to you or smiles at you. What are you to do but smile back?

Holding a kindness rock (shell) in Key West, FL

Along our journey, we have found and collected all different kinds of rocks, but we have started to find ones that are in the shape of a heart, of a smile, or something else distinctive (Elvis). It’s even more fun when the kids find them and are excited to show me their treasure.

Heart-shaped rock in Bar Harbor, ME — Holding a heart-shaped rock the boys found along the shore in Bar Harbor, ME

We have also found a few kindness rocks along the way. While Jackson was busy climbing a coconut tree in Key West, Griffin found a lovely shell painted with a flower on it. We also found one in Vermont outside one covered bridge. I always thought it would be fun to paint some rocks and scatter them all around the country on various hikes and campgrounds. We haven’t done it yet, but it seems like a great idea for a young family. Here’s a link to a video on the topic if you’re interested.

Along one of our off-road drives in Utah, we found Elvis in the rock structures and even tagged it as Elvis Rock on Google maps. Perhaps future travelers will find it as fun as we did.