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Painted Rocks in Public Places

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Container of painted rocks

The Bohons Spread Joy

By Dianna Troyer

Painting rocks with inspirational messages and leaving them in public places may seem inconsequential. Yet retirees Nile and Joy Bohon have seen the ripple effects of their participation in the nationwide Kindness Rocks movement from their home in southeastern Idaho and while on vacation nationwide and even worldwide.

A store employee in Burley was stocking shelves when she found a surprise and a message she needed—“You can move mountains.”

Joy had painted the saying along with a mountain scene on a smooth river rock and spontaneously left it at the store for whoever needed encouragement.

The employee who found the rock posted her reaction at the Burley Rocks Facebook page. Joy and Nile, who live in Heyburn, are administrators of the page, a local version of the nationwide Kindness Rocks movement.

“The store employee wrote that finding the rock made her day,” Joy said. “It’s amazing how many times the right rock was found by the right person at the right time with a personalized message they needed.”

At Yosemite National Park, a man found one of Joy’s rocks beside a bush at a motel after he and his wife had their first baby.

“For some reason, I painted a rock with an infant wrapped in a blanket. He said the rock reassured him and affirmed his role as a father.”

Unintentionally, Megan Murphy launched Kindness Rocks in 2015 at Cape Cod when she painted “You’ve got this” on a rock and left it on a beach. After a friend found it, she started leaving more rocks with inspirational messages at public places, and the project soon gained nationwide momentum.

Rocks are painted with nature scenes, inspirational or comical messages, Bible verses, or cartoon and video game characters and left in public places to inspire people.

Since the local project started in 2016, its Facebook membership has grown to 2,800.

Nile estimates he and Joy have painted 2,000 rocks and left them in Idaho as well as international locations while vacationing.

“We’ve heard from people who found our rocks in Croatia and Barcelona,” Nile said.

The Bohons’ artistic talents were kindled when they took painting classes while vacationing in Las Vegas. When they learned about the Kindness Rocks project, it resonated with them and gave them an outlet for their creativity and fulfilled their desire to spread kindness and put joy into someone’s day. They finish the rocks with a protective outdoor epoxy, ensuring they will not fade.

“Art can be expressed in many ways,” Nile said. “Joy painted a waterfall mural on our garage. Art doesn’t have to be on a canvas or in a museum.”

The Burley Rocks Facebook page describes the guidelines and goals as a fun family activity.

“This is a free paint, hide, and find rocks site. Please do not put them on private property, in the grass, or disturb landscaping. Once a rock has been painted and hidden, however, ownership is relinquished, and the artwork is not returnable. If a particular rock strikes your fancy, keep it.”
A frequent contributor to the Facebook page, veterinarian Dr. Bill Fulcher, has placed rocks locally with the reminders “You are beautiful” and “You are loved.”

“If I make one person smile, they are worth it,” he posted. “They bring so much joy to so many.”

He even took 100 rocks on a cruise and placed them throughout the ship. “People in the cruise group chat were asking when I would put more out.”

The Bohons even carry the rocks with them while running errands.

“Sometimes, I’ll spontaneously give one to a well behaved child in a store,” Joy said. “At schools, our messages remind students to be kind to each other.”

Friendships, memorials

Retired from the Amalgamated Sugar Company in Paul, the Bohons have more time to travel and always carry their paints and a few rocks with them on vacation.

“We’ve made friends doing this, too,” Nile said. “At the Anderson Ranch Reservoir, the kids beside us at a campground came over and painted with us.”

The rocks have served as poignant memorials, too.

In memory of 9/11, they painted rocks with the date and message “We’ll never forget.”

At the Las Vegas mass shooting October 2017, the Bohons were about 1 ¼ mile away from the Route 91 Harvest Music Festival where 58 people were killed.

“Joy made some with the message ‘Vegas Strong’ on them,” Nile said. “She put them at a memorial garden with other rocks and flowers. The flowers eventually wilted and were taken away, but the rocks stayed.”

Nile has been surprised at how quickly some rocks have been found in remote places.

“For some reason, people are drawn to certain obscure places just like I was,” he said.

While riding his motorcycle to a rally, he pulled over at a scenic overlook in Ten Sleep Canyon, Wyoming to hide a rock.

“I thought I wouldn’t hear about it for weeks, but in a few days someone posted it was found.”

Another time, while cycling in Utah, he left a rock at the Moab Canyon pathway “in an out-of-the-way place on a bridge. Someone found it in about five days.”

To maintain a supply of smooth river rocks, the Bohons bought buckets of them from landscapers and have them in their yard.

“Any time we’re moved to paint, we just go get one,” Nile said. “Then we’ll leave them wherever we feel a nudge that they’re needed.” ISI

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