Whenever something good happens, I pick up a rock. Then I bring it home.
It’s a little ritual I use to help me remember special moments in my life, and I have rocks from all over the world.
Including Spain! I picked them up off the ground in a tiny town in Spain on the day El Hub asked me to marry him. Funny story: Those rocks almost didn’t make it back to California, because on that same trip, after we left Spain, El Hub and I took a old, slow-moving overnight train to Portugal, where I packed up the rocks and a few other souvenirs into a flimsy cardboard box, which we shipped from a Lisbon post office.
At the last moment before taping up the box, I wrapped the contents in a thin sea foam green floral maxi dress I got at an H&M in Spain (This was before the chain had arrived in the U.S., and their clothes were very exotic to me.), just in case the box ripped open.
It’s a good thing I did because that box didn’t arrive in California for more than a month after we returned from Europe. I’d pretty much given up on seeing any of those souvenirs again until the box, broken and torn at the corners, showed up on our doorstep one day.
Somehow, thanks to a bit of shipping luck and that protective sea foam green dress, everything was still in the box, including my rocks.
Oh! — and I also have a red rock I picked up from the front of the OB-GYN’s office on the day I saw Connor’s heartbeat on the ultrasound the very first time. The rock reminds me of how happy and utterly terrified I felt when I saw that teeny, tiny white blip on the screen. I wondered, was this my only chance to have a child? And would she make it past the dangerous first few weeks? (Even on that day, I knew she was going to be a girl. Don’t ask me how, but I did.)
The polished green beauties at the top are the most recent additions to my collection, gathered from Moonstone Beach on the morning of my 44th birthday after I finished a jog along the beach.
Now they’ll always remind me of beachcombing and how loosey-goosey I felt after that run. They’ll go on my windowsill for a few months, and after that, into the special box where I keep the rest of my rocks! 🙂
How about you? Do you have any memory rituals? Little things you do to remember meaningful events?
Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,
Karen
neri says
June 12th, 2019 at 8:38 pmwhat a lovely ritual.
Donna says
June 13th, 2019 at 1:01 amOur family collects sand and shells from the various beaches we visit around the world. We also collect rocks from various places. I put them in unusual shaped glass jars along with a label with the date and location printed in an interesting font. They were displayed on shelves in my office at home. Sadly when my house burned down in October of 2017 in the north bay everything from our years of collecting were gone 🙁 along with everything else.
Take pictures of your rocks…I wish I had pictures of our jars.
LindaLibraLoca says
June 13th, 2019 at 1:32 amThat is a lovely ritual. I keep my memories in terms of photos, also hidden away in a box, and take them out to flick through them once in a while.
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Karen says
June 13th, 2019 at 8:54 amGood idea to have printed photos! Old school but effective. 🙌🏽
Kristen says
June 13th, 2019 at 6:20 amHave you been to any other countries in Europe? My husband and I are doing a tour of Europe at the end of summer and we’re super excited! Unfortunately we’re not making any stops in Spain.
Karen says
June 13th, 2019 at 8:57 amHi Kristen,
How exciting! What countries are you visiting?
We went to France, England, Portugal and Spain on that trip. It was fun but we were exhausted by the end.
Karen recently posted … Rockin’ Good Memories
Kristen says
June 13th, 2019 at 9:40 amOh nice! We’re going to a bunch of countries, so I’m sure we’ll be exhausted too! We’re landing in Switzerland and staying there a couple days, and then heading to France, Italy, Slovenia, Germany and back to Switzerland. We went to England last year and loved it!
Daphne B says
June 13th, 2019 at 6:46 amWhat a great idea. Those rocks are so pretty. Happy Belated 44th Birthday, Karen! I am so glad you got to do something special to celebrate.
Karen says
June 13th, 2019 at 8:50 amThank you, Daphne. I hope you are having a wonderful Thursday so far. ❤️
Georgia says
June 13th, 2019 at 11:05 amI collect magnets from the various places I’ve traveled to. Most of them live on my refrigerator door. It’s so nice to look at and realize that I’ve taken many fun trips to maybe not-so-exotic places, but I had fun. The magnets remind me of where I went and who was with me on those trips.
Chelsea says
June 13th, 2019 at 11:20 amI’m always looking for four leaf clovers from places I’ve been – I’m good at finding them. I have some from Cannes, some from Brest… of course that’s assuming where I’m at has clover, LOL! The friend I was with while looking in Cannes was expecting it to take a while so she sat down to have a cigarette or something and was impressed because because it took me about 30 seconds.
I bring my dad cool rocks back from trips because my dad really likes rocks. He worked on oil rigs when I was younger so he often gathered them from rig sites. In Michigan there are some rocks called Petoskey stones that are fossilized coral. He also likes pudding stones. My parents have a short rock wall in their yard from large rocks he’s picked up.
L says
June 13th, 2019 at 11:29 amOMG! I’ve taken that same train, then another, even slower, from Lisbon to Lagos! I looove Portugal. Did you happen to catch the almond festival in the Algarve? (Would have been February . .) Ane the cork trees . . so very interesting.
On my trips I get paperweights; now have the heaviest box of them that I can’t even lift. They were on display catching the Boulder sun, but now I hope to move and have boxes all over.
The best stones I ever collected were from the shores of Lake Superior . . just like the ones that are sold commercially for decoration.
And, officially, happy belated birthday Gemini . . we’re compatible signs.
Make your best day,
L
❤️
kellly says
June 13th, 2019 at 11:40 amWhat a great ritual! I don’t really travel much any more but the idea of having something tangible to celebrate and remember events with is a super idea.
Lily says
June 13th, 2019 at 11:46 amThat’s a lovely tradition. Have you ever put them in a clear vase with flowers? I have some beautiful stones I picked up at Point Reyes years ago. I like to use them when I have fresh flowers.
yelena says
June 14th, 2019 at 8:13 amWhat a great ritual Karen! I had never heard of this! nor do I think I have a memory ritual, but this is such a great post, thank you for sharing!
hmm, maybe I should start one!
Claudia says
June 19th, 2019 at 3:23 amI have rocks too. I thought I was the only weird one for that. My husband also gives them to me after I told him about my rocks.