Nearly every day for the past three years, my son has gifted me a rock or a piece of mulch when I picked him up from daycare or school. On the rare days when it rained, preventing time on the playground, he found something else from the classroom to give me instead- an eraser, a lost bead, a piece of paper, a discarded Band-Aid (ewe!). Holding hands on our walk to the car at the end of the day, he would dig in his pockets and then proudly share his gift with me. “Mom, this is for you!”
In the beginning, I tossed the rocks on the ground when he wasn’t looking, but then he started to ask where my rocks were, so I started to keep them. First, I put them in a mesh bag which was quickly filled, so I transitioned my treasures to a bowl. It soon became a ritual I looked forward to each day and I smile now even just thinking about it. Knowing that while he's playing with his friends, he takes a moment to grab something for me touches my heart. The sacredness of this seemingly ordinary gesture is something this mama can’t quite explain.
He started kindergarten this year, and on the first day of school, he surprised me by giving me a large piece of mulch when I picked him up. He’s continued every day since. I've never been happier to see rocks and mulch in my life! I'd quietly assumed our ritual would end with this new beginning, and I’m so grateful he proved me wrong. I know it won’t last forever, but I will happily accept his playground gifts as long as he’s willing to give them. This daily ritual has been a great reminder of how impactful small gestures of kindness can be and how quickly we all dismiss the sacredness of the ordinary amidst the busyness of our adult lives.
“The sacred is in the ordinary...it is to be found in one's daily life, in one's neighbors, friends, and family, in one's own backyard…”- Abraham Maslow
I’m not a collector of things, I’d much rather collect memories. But I’m very proud of my rock collection. What are you collecting that you’re proud of?