Simple Reminders and Subliminal Messages

I am a word freak.

 To the point of dorkiness. I subscribe to Webster's Word Of The Day via email. I am a chronic underliner in books. There are words all over my house in the form of chalkboard messages, painted signs, art made from the pages of books, and of course - books themselves. 

I also love elements from nature. My home also has it's collection of plants, shells, sticks, branches, and yes, rocks. And now... rocks with words on them. 

On a recent stroll with the dog, we crossed a bridge over a dried up river bed. I stopped and peered over the edge looking at all of the river rocks. That's when an image I hadn't seen in YEARS popped into my head. 

When I was a little girl I used to go "rock hunting" with my grandpa. You see, he was a "rock hound". I'm still not sure if that is an actual term for someone who hunts rocks or if it is simply one of those "country" words that are invented in my neck of the woods where I grew up. 

My Gramps would wander around the mountains, knowing exactly what to look for. Usually a nondescript, ugly grey rock that he would lug home to his shed and crack open to reveal a literal gem. He had a collection of rose quartz, geodes, jade, petrified wood etc... that he made jewelery and such from. I loved all of these beautiful rocks, but I had long forgotten about my favorite rock of his. 

It was a long, flat oval river rock, probably six inches long. In bright yellow paint he had inscribed "hello" on one side, and "goodbye" on the other. 

I thought it was genius. 

Sometimes when we were saying our goodbyes at the door he would flip the rock over to say goodbye - which he found so amusing, as did I!

I hadn't thought of that rock in decades until I looked down into this river bed. I wondered what ever happened to it?I didn't say anything as we walked on, but on the way back I had to slither down the side of the hill and into the rocks to take a few home. I could have stayed there exploring all day and probably left with a truck load of rocks, but I settled for a handful as I told the story of my Gramps' rock on the way back to the jeep. 

I knew I was going to add words to my rocks as well. 

Now I have this little bowl of simple reminders and subliminal messages that reminds me not only of how I want to live, but reminds me of my Gramps as well.