A solid, beautiful symbol
Flowers painted on rocks offer hope in time of despair
One of the blessings of this time of year is the plethora of blackeyed Susans, and many years ago I thought it would be wonderful to have these colorful harbingers of fall fill the gardens around my house. From the start I was fighting an uphill battle due to our clay soil, poor drainage, and not nearly enough sunlight. But I didn’t let that stop me, and year after year I tried with diligence to get these perennials to return the next season.
The few that made it through to the following summer were often sought out and chomped on by the groundhogs, who made themselves at home under our shed. The one year that they escaped the groundhog’s notice was the year that my husband cut down a tree that he promised wouldn’t fall in the garden. Well, you guessed it — it fell directly on and crushed the f lowers that I had so desperately wanted to survive.
This year I had an idea. Why not paint the rocks surrounding my gardens with images of black-eyed Susans? Then, if the f lowers didn’t endure, at least I would have the painted version.
After all, the groundhogs wouldn’t be able to eat the rocks.
I got busy, washing and painting the rocks a few at a time, and as I did so I was reminded of other rocks that have been painted during this unusual year of 2020.
A phenomenon — one that actually started several years ago — has gained even more momentum with the worldwide pandemic as a way to bring comfort in the face of chaos. People have simply been painting rocks — some with rainbows as a symbol of hope, others with uplifting messages to provide inspiration or to brighten someone’s day.
From Europe to the United States and many other places around the globe, painted rocks have been hidden in various locations with hopes that the finder would receive encouragement in these uncertain times.
I’ve been the recipient of some of these optimistic messages, and on several of my daily walks have found rocks that said “Be Safe,” “Believe,” and “We will Survive!”
Rock painting is not new, and goes back many thousands of years to cave paintings, Egyptian tombs, and more. We have learned a great deal from this visual storytelling created in the far distant past.
Ironically, this is the year that some of my flowers have actually made it until early fall. Not only did the garden escape a chainsaw-wielding husband, but I discovered a new garden spray that seems to repel the groundhogs.
But also this year there have been new enemies — bugs and slugs in my garden, and for the rest of us, of course, a brand new virus.
I have a message for such adversaries. Just try to attack these rocks. Just try to break our resolve.
The turbulent times of 2020 will be well-documented in our history books, but I’m wondering how the rocks themselves will speak. If future anthropologists and archeologists discover these rock specimens, what will they deduce about us?
Here’s what I believe they’ll say: These were people who showed hope in the midst of despair. They displayed an optimism against all odds. They found the courage to continue spreading kindness whenever they could. And they demonstrated a resiliency and strength which ultimately led to their survival.
One more important discovery will also be unearthed by these rocks — historians will learn that someone way back then really liked black-eyed Susans.
From Europe to the United States and many other places around the globe, painted rocks have been hidden in various locations with hopes that the finder would receive encouragement in these uncertain times.