Rockin' It!

   I tend to find all things of nature a source of interest.  It boggles the mind how many different aspects of life can be found on a hike about the place.  The physical and emotional aspects are in perfect harmony when there is time to really delve into the inner peace.  Being by oneself is a great way to throw off the distractions that plague us.  Life starts to come into focus and the mind is free to wander.  Then the spiritual aspect can blossom and grow.  Once free of the idea that we "need" to or "have" to do anything other than what is good for us, life begins to be much easier and we can really begin to "see" what has been around us at all times.  Aloneness is good for the soul.

  Yesterday, I found yet another rock that fascinated me to the point that I pocketed it for future inspection.  I am not one that is up on geology so a rock is just a rock..  Some are prettier than others and some are purely more interesting.   After all was said and done, some fine folks identified my stone as a river agate.  That made me happy.  It was nice to know that my stone had a name!  

  This brings up something that has always confused me a bit.  When does a rock become a stone or is it the other way around?  Growing up on the farm, a rock was a rock was a rock.  Stone was a nicer way of saying rock. As a kid, if I wanted to sound knowledgeable, I said stone!  That impressed people, I am sure!  Now, I ponder these things.  Think about it for a moment.  You have pebbles, stones, rocks and boulders.  Are they all the same thing?  I looked it up in the dictionary and, as near as I can tell, it is all about size.  A pebble is smaller than a stone which is smaller than a rock.  And then you have boulders which roll down the mountain and do major damage if they hit something. We do not have boulders here on the Bayou obviously because we have no mountains.  Basically, they are all rocks. We will go with that.

Hidden Beauty

  It is not hard to find things of beauty around us.  Most is of the "outer" beauty sort.  The kind that we first notice when seeing something that possesses a profound loveliness.  That outer beauty attracts us. It sometimes astounds us.  It can mesmerize us to the point of causing our thoughts to not be swayed.  While this outer beauty is enamoring, it is the hidden beauty that is lasting.  Outer beauty, at its best, is temporary.

  While out planting potatoes today, this message of outer and inner beauty hit me.  I found a small stone that was buried beneath the dirt.  At first glance, the stone was ordinary.  There was nothing special about it that made it stand out against all the other stones that were in the garden.  It was small, sort of oval-shaped and brown.  I started to flip it to one side when I remembered that just a few weeks ago, a similar stone was the center of a conversation I had with my little grand-nephew.  He was tossing stones in the Frog Pond when I asked him if he liked rocks and stones.  In his wise mind of a five year old, he answered "They are ok.  They are all alike..sort of boring. The only thing they are good for is throwing."  Hmmm?  Amazing thought.  All stones are good for are throwing away.  Boring things have no use.  I asked if I could see one of his stones before he threw it to the bottom of the pond.  He handed me the stone and I showed him the swirls on the outer edge and how, in this particular one, smaller stones were embedded in it.  He then took an interest in the stones and their "hidden" beauty.

  Today's stone definitely had a hidden beauty.  From the outside, it was "boring".  The drab brown was hiding a stark different inside.  Half of the stone was missing.  It had evidently been broken by my hoe or tiller at some point.  When I held the stone in the sunshine, I could see that it sparkled.  This intrigued me so I brushed the dirt from its crevices.  It sparkled even more and the cleaning allowed me to see a bit of unexpected color.  The inside was flecked with purples and blues along with the sparkly clear particles.  Wow! I admit that I do not know a lot about rocks and stones but this, to me, was a stunner!  The stone did indeed have a hidden beauty. Had it not been broken, I would have never known what was hidden beneath that dull exterior.

   That is the way it is with all things in this old world.  If we do not  give them a half of chance to shine, we may never see the secret beauty held deep within.  Sometimes we have to "scratch the surface" to find the gemstone held beneath the rough stone.

  I think I will hang onto this broken stone so I can show it to my little buddy.  Perhaps this will spark an interest in him to look at things in a different way.  First impressions are not always lasting but when we really get to know things, we can see their worth.

The Pearl Set in Stone!

  My son always tells me that I am easily amused.  I suppose he is right in most ways.  The simplest of things can hold me spellbound for a lengthy period of time.  This time it is a rock or, more precisely some sort of fossil.  While out in the garden, I uncovered the most unusual looking stone.  The thing seemed to be all lumpy and bumpy.  Curiosity got the best of me so I pocketed the stone so I could clean it for further examination.  Lumpy, bumpy rocks all require close examination!

  Once inside, I plunked said rock in a bowl of soapy water and went about my other chores.  After it sat there soaking for an hour or so, the rock was quite clean.  Wow!  It was a beautiful gemstone!  No...that was wishful thinking.  It  was still just a rock of some sort but it was infinitely more interesting than before.  (Like Michael said, I am easily amused!)  

  My rock had a number of swirls and whorls about it.  There were some huge crevasses (at least huge compared to the size of the rock.) and stuck in one was a tiny pebble.  The pearl-white pebble looked like it had been embedded like a jewel in a brooch. Ahh, now we are getting somewhere!  I knew exactly what my rock was!  It was a fossilized oyster with the pearl still embedded!  What? Don't you believe me?  

  Ok, ok, so I am ninety-nine percent sure that assumption is about as far off as can be but it does make for a grand story.  I am always on the lookout for some far-fetched tale that I can wield about the Bayou so my rock shall remain a "fossilized oyster".  I am quite sure that some gullible folks will fall for a tale of the "Pearl set in Stone" story if I just keep a straight face while telling it.  Which, according to some folks, I can do quite well when telling some tall tale!  And the rock goes in my collection of weird and wonderful Bayou Treasures!