most certainly respect that perspective. I will gladly share my story on how these things are mine. It is a story that I don't like to make short so please bear with me. So I am a young man, I actually turn 26 this coming Saturday. I've been collecting rocks my whole life, mainly arrowheads but not limited to just them. My Grandfather is the one to credit for my love of rocks. He is a college professor with 10 doctorates in mathematics from the University of Stanford that teaches mainly Trig, Calculus, physics, and other hardcore math classes that people take in college. Saying that he is blessed to have some of the summer months to travel all across the U.S., only in a vehicle, looking for the spot that he felt like he needed to stop, take some pics, and look for rocks. He drove to Alaska a few years back, with nothing but a few clothes, his camera, and his wife. He has also traveled places like Hawaii, Jamaica, South America, Mexico, and a few other places outside of the U.S. looking for rocks and taking pictures of what moved him to do so. (which was everything he seen) He was the scout master for my area for over 60 years so he also had quite a bit of time spent in random caves all over the Southeast U.S. He actually told me a story about one rock. He said he seen this rock deep inside this cave, for some reason left it, and once the group got out of the cave he had to go back and get it. There were several kids and 1 or 2 adults that were heading back to camp to get ready to go back home. He told them that he had to get this rock real fast and that he would meet them at camp and they could go. Camp was a 90 to 120 minuet walk from the cave. He sent all his gear except a water bottle and one flashlight with the group to take to camp to load up. He enters the cave. Says he walks for about 20 minuets to the spot he remembered. A huge room in the earth with oddly one huge stone in the middle of the room and the rock he was after. When he was picking up his rock, one of decent size that weighed 10 to 20 pounds, he drops his flashlight. Doing so the light went out. He found the light but could never get it to work again. So he is 20 minuets deep in this cave, ill say close to half a mile of walking from the surface with a light that doesn't work, a little water, and his rock. HAHAHA He said he was by the big rock in the center of the room so he managed to find it and he sat there holding his rock in complete darkness for 4 hours. He knew the group would come back for him once they figured out he wasn't coming back. And they did to find him holding his big ass rock in the dark all by himself with a smile on his face. That is one rock I find it so hard to accept from the man that went through all that to get.
Now the man is 90 years old, the covid vaccine that was supposed to make him "safer" has had detrimental effects on his health. I mean he ran 5 miles every morning up to about 5 years ago. Then he began to run as much as he could and walk what he couldn't run. He's in so much pain now he hasn't eaten in almost a month, he forces down what he can to keep enough energy to live. He wont take pain pills, wont smoke weed, he just prays and tries to live like he did before the vaccine. Before the he got the vaccine he heard of my collection, I am very secretive, he was lucky enough that felt it was okay to show him what I had and my love for rocks and he gave me his whole collection after that. He told me that he was getting a little older and that he wanted the stones to go to someone who would really appreciate them and would add to the collection he has been working his whole life. He said that if I didn't take them that his kids would just chuck them back to the Earth because they did not want to keep rocks. Since that talk I have not even got to see nor speak to him due to his health. I got a small portion of what he had one day, he wasn't around which I thought was odd and not even a week later my mom is telling me about how he's been in and out of the ER 3 to 5 times that week with each visit the doctors diagnosing him with something different. Not trying to find the issue with him, only trying to feed him full of meds to numb him from what he was feeling. He is a tough ole cat so I have faith that everything will be okay. He is a man who taught High School math for free, actually donating quite a bit of money to the school while he was dealing with high schoolers. He is CRAZY! He is the person I wish could be typing all the stories he has for all the rocks he's gathered. I can not sit here and claim that I personally found these beautiful gems so this is me telling everyone who reads this about the amazing human, my Grandfather, that did. My mom says we act just alike so hopefully I will have some stories on how I found my rocks one day soon. Yall will be the first ones to know them when the day comes. Until then I hope this story on how these rocks became mine can suffice. I wish I knew yesterday that this is what i would be sharing with yall. I know I'm leaving so much out ill later remember and wish I had included in this. Anyways I wish you all could enjoy the person who I Love, Appreciate, and look up to the most. Maybe I can get some more stories out of him I can share about some of the rocks I ask you all about. He claims to know what every one of them is but I like to get a few different perspectives and try to see what other people see because I feel like listening and understanding what what others have to say and feel is what is going to keep me personally open, and accepting of a world that is ever so confused right now. I hope this read is one people read and share. My grandfather is like a super hero to me. I want the world to know how badass my picture taking, math teaching, and rock loving grandfather is. Good Night my fellow rock lovers. Stay safe, healthy, and sane. God Bless!
