I come from a long line of rock collectors; therefore, I am very proud to say that I was once a beginner in the fun, exciting, and interesting field of rock collecting.
To me, rocks have certain qualities not found in people, plants, or animals. For example, as a curious child, I would always collect rocks on the beach close to where I lived. These rocks tell a story. I would pick up a rock and feel its history through its twisting groves and striations. When you really study the rocks you walk upon on a daily basis, you really gain a respect for mother earth and the history etched into every rock.
I hope my explanation of why rock collecting can be such a moving experience has increased your desire to begin to collect rocks of your own. How do you start rock collecting? Fortunately for you, rock collecting, unlike other, more expensive hobbies, requires no specialized equipment or training of any kind. All you need is a curious mind and an adventuresome soul.
To collect rocks, simply go out your front door. Rocks are everywhere! Rock collecting is unlike any other type of collecting hobby, like collecting baseball cards or state quarters, in that even the rocks in your own backyard tell fascinating stories.
The only supply you may need is a container of some sort to place the rocks you find most interesting or rare into. The beauty of rock collecting is there is no set way to collect rocks. Like me, you can collect rocks based on their shapes, sizes, and interesting features; however, you can also start your rock collection by simply gathering up rocks of all one color, or the rarest rocks you can find. I know one individual whose rock collection consists of rocks from every famous place he has been in his life. This means that his rock collection is comprised of rocks from Yosemite, Yellowstone, Mount Rushmore (which ironically looks like a face), Washington D.C., and so much more.
In short, rock collecting allows you the freedom to collect what you want, where you want, and how you want. Would you like to collect only flat, smooth rocks? Great! Are you only going to keep the rare rocks you find? Excellent! Are you going to keep every rock you find that seems interesting to you in one way or another? Perfect!
You see, for those of you just starting up your own rock collection, remember, the sky is the limit; or more accurately, the ground is the limit!
