Antoine de Saint_Exupery said, “A rock pile ceases to be rock when somebody contemplates it with the idea of a cathedral in mind.”
Rocks are everywhere, embodying a unity within our world. They are our bedrock, our foundation. They all resemble each other in some way. There’s comfort in that resemblance. Rocks symbolize life’s different moments. Jagged rocks exhibit anger. Smooth small rocks make worry stones. Picking them up, you can feel their cool stability in your hands.
Often these rocks end up in my rock pile at home. Where others see only a rock pile, to me it ceases to be a rock pile when I envision the adventures and memories made to collect them. With my friends’ and family’s gifts of stones, I’ve “walked” through parks, volcanoes, countless beaches, along the banks of rivers, the shores of lakes, forests, and city centers.
My stone cathedral is shaped from three different continents and is topped with a heart-shaped stone from northern Norway.
My cousin Berit walked along the Atlantic Ocean and picked this little heart. Nature has shaped it, creating sharp points that remind me everyone has pointy rough parts in life that haven’t been worn down by experience. The heart shape claims a connection between continents. This steeple on my cathedral connects back to our bedrock.
Like the cool stability of my rock pile, we all have strength. We just have to contemplate it.
I’m Elsa Glover, and this is my perspective.
