One of the joys of living near the sea is the abundance of pebbles at the edge of the beach. Among the dull grey mudstone, there’s speckled pink granite, sandstone striped with quartz and rust red ironstones. Everyone one of these countless pebbles has a history far longer than yours.
Some started their journey to the beach as eruptions of lava from ancient volcanos. Others are fragments of the sediment crushed beneath the ocean floor and thrust up into mountains. Each smooth stone is a testament to the patient power of the elements, cracking, weathering, shaping and smoothing rocks over millions of years.
Pebbles chosen because they glisten and sparkle when wet are often dull by the time they emerge again from your pocket. But even the most unassuming pebble is a wonder. The small stone warming in your hand was once a mountain. You are holding the earth’s story.
What wonderful things to remember about pebbles. They are so calming to hold precisely because of our elemental connection to each other. 🌌
I have many happy memories of looking for interesting pebbles along the beach during childhood seaside holidays around the UK. In my family we referred to this pastime as ‘pebbling’ and we’d joke that one risked developing ‘pebbler’s stoop’ if overdoing it!