Okanagan woman is turning social media negativity on its head, one rock at a time

KELOWNA  – Crystal Weber wants to take the usually nasty conversation on social media sites in a drastically different direction.

Weber is a Lake Country resident who was camping near Nelson in mid-July when she found a painted “kindness rock” with a message on the back encouraging her to post a picture of it to a Coeur d’Alene, Idaho Facebook page, which she did.

Then she took their idea one step further and created her own kindness rock Facebook page: #ylwrocks.

“I wanted to start a group that is more local,” Weber told iNFOnews.ca.

“This is a lot of fun. I want to play but, being that group was a group in the United States, it didn’t make a lot of sense to post there about rocks I was dropping around the Okanagan. So, I decided, let’s make our own group and maybe there will be more people around here who want to play.”

The idea of sharing rock art as a way to brighten other people’s lives started in 2015 when Megan Murphy wrote an inspirational message on a rock and left it on a Cape Cod beach. It has since spread via social media throughout the world and was launched by Weber in Kelowna just last week.

The Coeur d’Alene group has more than 16,000. After just one week in existence, #ylwrocks is about to crack the 100 mark.

It’s a bit of a fun game like geocaching, which Weber also does, but without so many rules. It’s also about setting a tone.

“The point of it is to try to spread some happy and some joy,” Weber said.

The idea is to paint the rocks and coat them with a clear acrylic outdoor sealer, with instructions on the back.

Then, deposit them somewhere safe (so they’re not tripping or lawnmower hazards) then post pictures online with hints of where to find them. If you find one, post it on-line as well.

In most cases, the next step is to place the rock somewhere else and see how far it will travel – the one Weber found in Nelson, she left in Calgary and she has a friend who plans to take one to England.

But, passing the rock on is not mandatory.

“If somebody finds a rock that really speaks to them and they really love the art and if that bring them lots of joy, have at it, keep them,” Weber said.

“Some people in the United States started rock gardens where they found rocks that really speak to them so, now, they have this little rock garden full of things that really make them smile.”

While how to deal with the rock is up to you, there are certain rules posted on the Facebook page, including making it fun, family-friendly, no hate speech or profanity and don’t try to sell your art on the site or risk being removed. And it carries a clear message that “THIS IS A DRAMA FREE SITE!”

It’s also therapeutic.

A couple of years ago, Weber was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis and was told by her doctor in January that she had to quit work. So that, and other issues, have given her a fairly rough year.

“If I paint one rock, that’s great,” she said. “There’s no pressure. No commitment. It lets me be creative. Lets me go at my own pace.”

She keeps a supply in her purse to drop off when she heads into town.

In order to make it easier to connect, she’s created not only a Facebook page but also a Facebook group and an Instagram page, all at #ylwrocks.

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