Linda Armstrong's Blog - Posts Tagged "stumbling-blocks"
The Elegant Voices of Rocks
I was in the middle of nowhere with a group of friends exploring a small cave. It was fun, I loved being out in nature and the company was good. However, at a certain point I began to wish for some of the amenities of home....
It was about a 30 minute drive from civilization to get where we were, and there was nothing in between. I was getting desperate,,,
The landscape offered no relief other than a few scraggly sagebrush. I decided I would find a secluded spot inside the cave and hope no one caught me...
As I entered the cave, I saw a boulder that was maybe 3-4 feet tall, just about as big around. It almost smiled at me...
I couldn't pass by it on my 'quest,' I folded myself over the top of this huge rock and found myself breathing deeply.
"Good morning, Little One," it said to me.
No one has ever called me 'Little One.' Even as a child I was much taller than other kids my age, so that moniker never occurred to anyone.
Yet this rock seemed to know me, so much that it felt comfortable calling me by such a term of endearment.
This rock proceeded to tell me of its history. It showed me vivid pictures of the time that it danced and flowed in a molten state, and was free! How it enjoyed that state of being. It told me that all rocks were in that state at one point in their history. It told me that rocks volunteer to become solid, and therefore consider themselves stepping stones. It pains them to think that some would call them stumbling blocks, but they also understand that people have choice, like they did. It was a fascinating conversation.
Afterwards, I forgot about my 'quest.' I finished exploring with my friends in the area for another hour or so. Then we made the 30 minute journey back to civilization. It was after we were back for another 30 minutes or so that I remembered that I had felt the need of civilization a couple of hours earlier.
I live several states away from that rock now. I had the opportunity to visit it again a few years after we first met. Once again, I conversed with this rock by folding myself over its welcoming surface. I heard it say, "You've come back, Little One."
It's nice to see old friends.
It was about a 30 minute drive from civilization to get where we were, and there was nothing in between. I was getting desperate,,,
The landscape offered no relief other than a few scraggly sagebrush. I decided I would find a secluded spot inside the cave and hope no one caught me...
As I entered the cave, I saw a boulder that was maybe 3-4 feet tall, just about as big around. It almost smiled at me...
I couldn't pass by it on my 'quest,' I folded myself over the top of this huge rock and found myself breathing deeply.
"Good morning, Little One," it said to me.
No one has ever called me 'Little One.' Even as a child I was much taller than other kids my age, so that moniker never occurred to anyone.
Yet this rock seemed to know me, so much that it felt comfortable calling me by such a term of endearment.
This rock proceeded to tell me of its history. It showed me vivid pictures of the time that it danced and flowed in a molten state, and was free! How it enjoyed that state of being. It told me that all rocks were in that state at one point in their history. It told me that rocks volunteer to become solid, and therefore consider themselves stepping stones. It pains them to think that some would call them stumbling blocks, but they also understand that people have choice, like they did. It was a fascinating conversation.
Afterwards, I forgot about my 'quest.' I finished exploring with my friends in the area for another hour or so. Then we made the 30 minute journey back to civilization. It was after we were back for another 30 minutes or so that I remembered that I had felt the need of civilization a couple of hours earlier.
I live several states away from that rock now. I had the opportunity to visit it again a few years after we first met. Once again, I conversed with this rock by folding myself over its welcoming surface. I heard it say, "You've come back, Little One."
It's nice to see old friends.
