Photo by Britta Hunsinger ()
Imagine an activity that combines the joy of discovery of an Easter-egg hunt, the creative satisfaction of a painting session and the health benefits of a long walk. Make this thing to do something that not just the whole family can enjoy, but all the residents of a city or town. Now that would be something special, particularly at a time when social distancing has become the new norm.
A new pursuit that delivers on all the above-mentioned points has lately been gathering steam. Since November 2019, residents of Kaiserslautern and its outlying towns have come together through the magic of Facebook to spread a little joy into one another’s lives.
Members of the KL Steine / Bemalte Steine Kaiserslautern (KL Stones / Painted Stones of Kaiserslautern) group get hold of everyday stones and use acrylic paints to transform them into colorful works of art- sometimes whimsical and cartoonish, at other times displaying true artistic merit— but above all, always fun. Once the rock has been varnished and tagged, it’s “set free” alongside a path where it’s bound to catch the eye of a passerby. The rock’s finder is requested to take a photo of his discovery and post it on Facebook, alongside the word “gefunden” (found) and a note of the place in which the rock was found. The rock is then re-released into the wild to spark that same joy of discovery in the next person to come across it. (Should the rock’s new owner fall in love with his or her find, it’s also perfectly acceptable to hang onto it for a little while.)
Photo by Britta Hunsinger
The more colorfully decorated rocks out there, the brighter the world will be, and new members of the group are always welcome. Group founder Andrea Brehm and site administrator Britta Hunsinger confirm that they would be delighted to see the community grow through the participation of members of the Kaiserslautern Military Community.
As in any Facebook group, certain rules apply. Here are some things those who wish to participate pledge to abide by when they click on the button to request to join the group:
Rocks should be tagged on their undersides with the words “Kaiserslautern Steine,” along with the blue “f” Facebook logo, in order to provide people unfamiliar with the group with a point of reference.
No add-ons should be applied to the rock, for example, plastic googly eyes, glitter, glue, pipe cleaners, fake hair or similar unnatural items out of respect for the environment.
Rocks should be placed only in areas where they can do no harm. For example, a rock on a lawn that’s mowed regularly could break a lawnmower, one placed in the middle of the road could trip up a cyclist, or one under a car could cause damage to a tire. Rocks should also not be taken from what’s obviously someone else’s private property. Cemeteries are a no-go area.
Always be friendly and polite in your posts. Treat other group members with respect at all times.
No hate speech, political statements, bullying or degrading comments based on ethnicity, religion, culture, sexual orientation, gender or identity have a place on a rock’s design or in the FB comments section.
Place no advertising, spam, overt self-promotion or irrelevant links on the FB page.
Only post photos of stones belonging to the KL Steine FB group. (a number of other communities have their own groups, so photos and locations of those rocks should be shared in the corresponding group.)
Post only photos of those rocks you’ve found or painted yourself. Contributions from the media or other sources of public information may only be published with the author’s permission.
Have fun, spread joy and make new friends!
