Skipping Rocks

     Skipping rocks is one of my favorite outdoor activities.  It never gets old, yet it is nearly the same every time.  How can throwing a rock be so much fun?  In some ways, it is fun for the same reasons that spending time outdoors is fun.

     First, you need to find a rock with a good shape and size that will allow it to skip on the water’s surface.  Often this requires a relatively small rock that is flat on both sides so as to spread out the weight.  This is very similar to finding a nice quiet spot full of nature.  Immersing yourself in nature is a lot harder to do when you just spend all your time in the city.  In the same way, it is very hard to skip a rock that is neither smooth nor flat.  While you can sometimes get that rock to skip, you can also find nature in the city, it is just much more difficult.

     Next, you need to master the technique.  Skipping a rock isn’t very difficult, but you need to know how to throw it to get it to skip.  Being in nature isn’t enough to be moved by it.  While you may be moved if you are in the most beautiful places, you also may get a rock to skip by just throwing it.  But to enjoy nature wherever you are, you must put in some effort to connect.  Be quiet, look around, go hiking, maybe even meditate.  All these options will allow you to experience nature to a much higher degree. 

     Now just because you understand the technique and pick a good rock doesn’t mean you can always get a perfect skip.  It takes practice and patience to work your way up to that status.  In a similar way, Thoreau suggests a higher kind of walking in his writings.  A walk that truly takes in all of the surroundings and establishes a spiritual connection with nature.  This isn’t something that is mastered on your first time outside.  He needed a whole immersive experience at Walden Pond to come up with this.  Taking the time to connect and truly deepen your relationship with nature takes time, and the fulfillment you get from putting in that kind of time and effort can pay off in multitudes.

A lake I very much enjoyed skipping rocks on

     Ultimately, skipping rocks is fun because it offers just enough challenge, a fun search, and regardless of how much science can explain it, it always feels just a bit magical to watch that rock bounce across the pond.  In the same way, experiencing nature does all these things and more.