16. "Mom! I found one! I found a rock!"
I heard those words again and again last summer as I sat by the window, which faces a park in the small town where I live.
The Kindness Rocks Project, which was started a few years ago by a mom in Massachusetts, has spread around the world. Kids, families, and people of all ages are taking part in painting rocks, hiding rocks, and finding painted rocks all over the place. Some post photos of the rocks on social media (传媒), and others simply move the rocks for someone else to find. Some take the rocks home and then replace them with new ones that they created and hid.
Nine-year-old twins Harry and Hannah DeVrieze have painted hundreds of rocks with their parents. Most evenings, the family and their small dog walk around with a wagon (运货车) full of rocks that they hide as they walk.
"It's a fun family activity," Hannah says.
"We will do it in the winter too," Hannah says.
Ben Burinsky, age nine, and his brother, Luke, age seven, were visiting relatives (亲戚) when they found their first painted rock in a park. They were so excited that they went home and painted their own rocks, then hid them for others to find.
"My boys loved finding the rock in the park, especially since it was a superhero," their mother, Judy Burinsky, says. "I love how something so small can bring a smile to my children's faces. In return, they learn the value of giving back to others."
Kadyn Kinney, age nine, and his seven-year-old brother, Jayce, have also painted many rocks. They love to hide rocks and look for rocks with their mom and dad. When their grandmother visited, they gave her painted rocks to take home and hide in the Florida town where she lives. When asked how many rocks he has painted so far, Jayce says, "Trust me!I've painted more than 30."