Chances are you’ve seen kindness rocks on Cape Cod. You can often find the brightly painted stones with positive messages painted on them on the beach or scattered along the many hiking trails here.
The Kindness Rocks Project originated right here on Cape Cod! It all began when local mom Megan Murphy decided to actively change her outlook on life. Megan was feeling bombarded by negativity from the morning news. She noticed that she carried the negative feeling with her for the rest of the day.
A Pebble For Your Thoughts
In her book A Pebble For Your Thoughts, Megan shares how the Kindness Rocks Project began. I borrowed the book via the CLAMS Library Network and enjoyed reading it. First, Megan turned off the morning news and started taking a daily walk on the beach. She noticed her outlook shifted quickly after making this one small change to her routine.
She was eager to share her new positive outlook and sense of inner peace with others. Feeling inspired, she painted inspirational messages on rocks. On her next walk, she dropped the stones on the beach. Those early messages were noticed and appreciated. The positive feedback encouraged Megan to continue painting rocks and leaving them in more places.
The rest, as they say, is history. The inspiration to create positive change by one local Cape Cod woman quickly grew. The Kindness Rocks Project is now an international kindness movement. The mission is simple: “One message at just the right moment can change someone’s entire day, outlook, life.”
Get Your Kids Involved in Spreading Kindness
Discovering kindness rocks on hikes always delights my kids. Many of the rocks I have found deliver the right message at the right time. Inspired by what we were finding out on the trails, the kids and I painted our own kindness rocks last winter. We kept it simple and painted hearts on several small stones. We left our kindness rocks hidden on one of our favorite trails. The prospect of brightening someone else’s day made us all smile.
Painting kindness rocks is a simple and fun activity to do with kids. You can use supplies you already have on hand or pick up a kit at a local craft store. In addition, there are painting supplies kits available for purchase on the Kindness Rocks website. The website also includes great downloadable resources.
You can celebrate Random Acts of Kindness Week on February 11-17 by painting kindness rocks and hiding them around town. I found inspiration and a kindness challenge for kids on the Random Acts of Kindness Foundation website.
Megan has now expanded her kindness movement. Her’d is a new women’s storytelling project where she invites women to come together to listen, learn, and lift each other up. You can learn more about Her’d at herdstorytelling.com.
