Memories Wrapped In A Rock

Update on the Craft Fairs

All over for this year!  We attended the Fair in Eastport and another in St. John’s.  What an experience!  We were flopping back and forth from laughter, to confusion, to anxiety, to excitement and, at the end, exhaustion. Deborah and I gained so much knowledge about the marketplace and what people seem to be interested in these days. I now have a whole new appreciation for craft producers. What work is involved!

Thank You

Many thanks to family and friends who supported us. Your encouragement and help meant so much.

To our customers, some of whom were family and friends and some who were strangers, we hope you thoroughly enjoy the products as much as we enjoyed making them and serving you.

Subcontracted to Our Digital Devices

The other day I listened to a radio program about memories and memory loss. It is a topic that is on many of our minds these days and causes many of us no end of worry.  This particular program was really interesting as it dealt not just with the various forms of dementia that seem so prevalent today but the general use of our minds to capture and recant our stories and information.  One sentence stood out among all the rest:

“We have subcontracted our memories to our digital devices.”

Oh my … how true is that!  Or at least it certainly is for me.

1. 1. My contact list, my calendar, my shopping list, my ‘to do’ list … all of it resides on my phone.  I set alerts and reminders so I no longer have to worry about remembering where I am supposed to be and when.
   2. My computer holds all my stories, poems and photos;
   3. my iPad provides the lists of my favourite songs, lyrics and guitar chords; my favourite books and which one I read last;
   4. Google tells me how to spell words properly and provides the definitions and information I need on all sorts of topics;
   5. I can barely find my way to the corner store without Google Maps.

Seriously! And what isn’t on an electronic device is posted to sticky notes and journals. Mind you, most of the time I can’t remember exactly where I placed them and can’t find the darned things when most needed. In far reaches of my mind, I may be able to come up with the words needed to communicate my thoughts but it could be hit or miss. Sometimes I wonder.

Does any of this sound familiar to you?  If not one might be inclined to think I’m exaggerating to make a point … not likely!  Picture my week:

I got lost in the city – twice. Well really, not lost exactly as it wasn’t as if I didn’t know where I was going. I hadn’t really forgotten how to get there but my mind was happily off in all directions while I was driving (squirrel).  By the time I focused on the topic at hand and where I was supposed to be headed, I was down in Logy Bay.  Naturally, I didn’t remember the address so Google Maps was useless.  After a few chuckles, I just took in the sites, stopped to look at the ocean, and then went home. The next time I was looking for an arena and in the midst of it found myself in the middle of a funeral procession. I found the arena the following day.

I forgot an appointment I’d made a few days ago because I didn’t look at my calendar and didn’t have an ‘auto’ alert set for the time.

I double booked a get-together with friends because one time slot had inadvertently been placed on the 2020 calendar (Gremlins were at fault on that one).

I went to the store and walked around wondering what I had intended to buy. My list was still sitting on the kitchen table and I’d forgotten to take a picture of it before leaving the house.  So naturally I left the store with 3 bags full – not one item matched the list on the table.

What I am happy to report is that I do remember my phone number so at least something is still up there floating around in my head.  Great comfort, as I often enjoy talking to myself.

Memories Wrapped in a Rock

My Aunt and I were discussing memories and stories from the past, like those wrapped in the many things she has  around her home. Some of the things children had given my uncle or her over the years, things now probably long forgotten by the kids but still fond memories for her.

Somehow the topic turned to painted rocks and then rocks in general. She remembered how years ago, my son had given my uncle a rock (more like a boulder) and a bright green kneeling pad as a Christmas present. It was a prayer rock. It was to be placed by the bedside so when he stubbed his toe on it, it would presumably be a reminder for him to say his prayers – using the kneeling pad, obviously. I  can imagine that rock prompted some colourful biblical words from my uncle but I’m not sure about the prayers.

Rock painting and engraving are among the world’s oldest art forms. Depictions of human and animal figures, unusual combinations of the features of both, and geometric and other patterns have been used by wide-ranging cultures and civilizations since the beginning of time. Besides being admired for their sophisticated, powerful and detailed representations, they have provided a window into the memories and daily lives of our ancient ancestors.

But it’s not just about ancient worlds.  Rock painting is quite a phenomena all over North America in the last few years.  It has become the hottest hobby for kids and grown-ups alike.  Basically, people are painting rocks and hiding them everywhere for others to find.  Just try Googling the subject.  You’ll come up with more than 68 million entries – everything from how to paint, what to paint, how to hide, where to hide, how to find and so on.  It is a way for people to let their creative side shine and is a relatively cheap hobby that provides a whole lot of fun!  It is connecting people and bringing smiles to the faces of those who do the painting and to those who find them. One in particular was found at the airport in St. John’s and ended up in Norway.  The markings on the back indicated who had painted it and the two families, one in Newfoundland and one in Norway, became connected.

Many other rocks have been hidden all around the Continent apparently. I wonder will future civilizations find any of these? Will the paint survive the elements? Will any conclusions be formed about the meaning and the people who painted them? Will they be a window into our memories?

Poems that Live Forever

If you put the painting part aside, you’ll find that many people are fascinated with rocks – everything to rock formations that have evolved over the ages to small pieces that have broken away from glaciers and have been washed smooth with the ocean waves. In my world they are considered interesting and pretty.  While other children were picking wild flowers to bring to their moms, my son would search for the most beautiful pebbles and rocks to share with me.  They came in all shapes and colours and thankfully they were all small, much smaller than the one he gave to his uncle. I still have several as keepsakes of those wonderful years.

Then as an adult and after he’d move away from home, I received one more rock that came in the mail as part of a Mother’s Day surprise. It is the most special of them all.  Accompanied by a book of poems called Poems that Live Forever, that rock is a poem in itself and is now in my own collection. These are the memories that never fade and have no need to be subcontracted to digital devices.

© 2019 Beulah Peyton Bouzane.