Imagine you’re taking a stroll through Daniels Run Park in Fairfax only to have a brightly painted rock, lying among so many plain gray and brown stones, catch your eye. Or maybe you’re walking out of the grocery store when you spot a colorful one lying under a bush.
Now imagine that painted on that rock is the perfect affirming message you needed to hear that day: “You matter.” “Never give up.” “You are loved.”
That is the experience created by Fairfax Rocks!, a group whose mission is to bring cheer by painting and placing rocks in random spots throughout the community.
“We are spreading kindness one rock at a time,” says Suzie Nichols, one of the admins who maintain the Facebook page.
Some of the rocks are simple—artsy and creative. Others display encouraging messages of hope or inspiration. A few are painted in memory of those no longer with us.
Fairfax Rocks! was inspired by the national Kindness Rocks Project started in 2015 by Megan Murphy, a Massachusetts woman. Julie Trace started the local group on Facebook in June 2017 as a way for the community to connect and share their stories about how and where they found their rocks. It has since grown to more than 4,500 members.
Some have even incorporated searching for the rocks into their usual family routines. “During the pandemic, we went on lots of nature walks with our 5-year-old to pass the time,” says Katherine Owen of Chantilly. “Looking for the rocks on our pandemic walks really turned it into more of a scavenger hunt.”
The painting of rocks can have a domino effect on those who find them, too. Julia Oaks of Springfield found her first rock while walking her dog over a year ago, and it started her on a personal journey. “I have since painted hundreds of rocks, hidden many, and given loads away,” says Oaks. “I am not an artist by any means, but it has given me such joy to see others smile upon finding and receiving these little guys.”
In a world that feels very chaotic, Fairfax Rocks! has created a therapeutic activity for many.
“I set aside time every morning before work for my ‘art therapy’ time,” says Nichols.
Hundreds of rocks have popped up throughout the Fairfax area, and some have traveled as far as the World Trade Center memorial in New York City and Legoland in Florida.
“At the end of the day,” says Trace, “whether it’s an encouraging word they need to hear or just something to make them smile, we hope our rocks help make people’s day a little better and a little brighter.”
Feature image courtesy Julie Trace
This story originally ran in our November issue. For more stories like this, subscribe to our monthly magazine.
