As someone who already has far too many hobbies, a revival of my dormant teenage interest in rocks and minerals is not something I necessarily welcome. But whilst admiring someone’s polished rocks on Twitch after phase one of their first ever rock tumbling experience it unexpectedly and powerfully rekindled what appears to be a latent but still present interest in rocks. Instead of continuing to research about Robert Frost, I spent the day shopping on Amazon for rocks and experimenting with sanding and polishing the three rocks I have at home.
Despite my saying my interest in rocks has been dormant, I feel like I should explain why I have three rocks in my home. I should have suspected my interest in rocks was reappearing when two or three years ago I impulsively wandered up to a seller’s table at my local shopping centre and purchased three rocks from her. At the time I told myself I just fancied a small portion of amethyst geode as something to add to my home decor but I ended up buying two other rocks alongside the amethyst.
Clearly there was more going on than just the desire for interesting home decor. Sadly, I used to remember what those other two rocks were called but time has since washed that information from my memory. I put those rocks in a glass candle holder and over the years since that purchase I have frequently dusted these rocks and scoffed to myself what a waste of money they were and more than likely unethically sourced. They seemed for all intents and purposes something of folly fueled purchase and one that I believed I would not be repeating.
Given this, I assumed I was done with rocks but a few days ago I found myself glued to my laptop screen as a Twitch streamer took us through their first ever attempt at rock tumbling. Seeing those polished rocks was not what I had been intending to watch as I was tuning in for an episode of a long standing series this streamer usually does that most certainly does not feature rocks or rock tumbling in any substantial way. But I couldn’t take my eyes of the screen and I even gasped at how pretty some of the polished rocks turned out. I was making comments out loud to no one about the rocks and I even felt a bit deflated when normal programming resumed and they put away their rocks and started the show I was actually tuning in for. I knew then I was toast. It was going to be rocks or bust for me.
So I did a very twenty-first century thing. I bought rocks on Amazon from National Geographic. I won’t lie. I am really looking forward to receiving my rocks. It’s unfortunate this is the route I am taking to obtain my rocks but it’s the most affordable way to start my rock collection. I did try to search for some brick and mortar stores to source my rocks from but no one local to me was selling rocks in the quantity and price I was looking for. Moving forward I will try to buy individual rocks from small businesses around my area. It’s the least I can do: financially support my fellow rock nerds, oh erm, I mean my fellow rock enthusiasts.
But moving slightly away from my myopic obsession with rocks, yes rocks can be a nice thing to have in one’s life but more than the rocks it’s the joy these darned rocks give me that gives them value, that makes the hobby worth having. Joy is a nearly indescribable concept and obtaining it can feel at times, out of reach or inaccessible. Having something that unlocks joy in your life in a substantive and sustainable way that doesn’t just trigger temporary endorphin hits like for example what shopping or social media can do, is invaluable. It’s what a contented life is built on. I wouldn’t say it’s meaningful or fulfilling in of itself but it forms part of the nexus that most likely will lead you on a path to living a life that becomes meaningful and fulfilling.
For me the rocks could be part of the puzzle of life that some refer to as ikigai (生き甲斐). This Japanese philosophical concept can be roughly translated as a ‘reason for being' (“Ikigai,”, 2026). It refers to something that gives a person a sense of purpose, a reason for living and adds meaning to life (“Ikigai,” 2026). It’s a hard concept to define but this Venn graph provides a good attempt at encapsulating what ikigai could be described as:
Ikigai Venn Graph. Source: Internet Archive (Ikigai, n.d.)
Some argue ikigai doesn’t necessarily include anything to do with paid work but others would include that within their meaning of ikigai as a life concept because work takes up so much of our time and some people like to find meaning within their work. I’m agnostic about how one defines ikigai beyond it being a life source, it’s the thing that gives us a sustainable and nourishing sense of zing in our lives. I believe it doesn’t need to be something specific either, like a hobby. It can be broad based, like a love of learning which then can interact with a specific activity.
Two other deeply valuable Japanese derived concepts that have been impactful on me over the years have been tsundoku and forest bathing. Forest bathing is when you stare at natural, living greenery be it a tree or a plant and become absorbed in the feelings staring at nature can induce. Technically I think forest bathing involves walking in wooded areas but as a city dweller the best I can manage is usually park trees or my own balcony garden. The other concept is tsundoku. Michelle Spear from the University of Bristol writes:
The term describes the habit of acquiring books and allowing them to accumulate unread. It combines the idea of stacking things up (tsunde), leaving something for later (oku) and reading (doku). The result is a concept that captures the quiet optimism of a pile of books … Far from being a sign of being time poor or lacking in discipline, tsundoku may reveal something surprisingly important about how the brain responds to anticipation … When we encounter something that promises enjoyment or discovery, the brain’s reward system becomes active (Spear, 2026).
I have linked Spear’s article below in the Reference section if you would like to read more about the concept of tsundoku. For me, it helps to explain why having lots of unread books lying around always felt good and reassuring rather than stressful or wasteful.
Going back to rocks, the contrarian in me also appreciates that something as mundane and commonplace as rocks can be so meaningful for me. In a world dominated by social media where materialism, exclusivity and clout derived from flexing wealth seems to be highly admired, it’s actually really great to value something like commonplace rocks and minerals. I’m not talking about the real high value collector specimens. I’m talking about the small stuff you can buy relatively affordably online or even pick up on walks near rock worthy places like beaches and hilly areas. It’s something kids grow up doing because it’s quite cheap to do and can be nearly free if you are lucky enough to live near places where you can beach comb or trail walk. I love the humbleness of rock collecting and its accessibility.
In a socio-economic society that highly values showcasing how you can access the inaccessible because you have clout or large sums of wealth, it’s a relief to indulge in something accessible, simple and affordable. It’s a balm in today’s world. The escape into the ordinary and the simple is in of itself a deep pleasure. I think this may be why some people enjoy hand sewing as opposed to using a sewing machine or doing things like wood carving. Simple, low tech, quiet and mindful activities can soothe the weary soul.
Want to see my rocks? Here they are. Photo credit: HammieRiffs.
Now that I have resigned myself to the notion that I now have a rock collection that I will be interacting with on a regular basis I am planning more ikigai-inducing activities such as a trip to a local university to look at their rock and mineral museum to learn more about rocks and minerals. There will also be day trips to the state museum shop and the port city of Fremantle to look for polished rock specimens and I feel nothing but unbridled joy and delight at the prospect of doing all of these things. But what I especially look forward to the most is sitting in a quiet room with a desk and my rocks and being completely absorbed by them.
Thanks for reading and I will see you next time.
References:
Ikigai. (2026, July 26). In Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ikigai Ikigai Venn Graph Infographic. (n.d.). Archived from https://archive.org/details/93742e-9d-3bb-64ff-2016bed-21e-77a-5958f-3c-256ffd-8b-9a-0c-853a-728061ee-77c-5f . Retrieved July 26, 2026.Spear, M. (2026, 20 July). Why you keep buying books you don’t read – and why it feels so good. The Conversation. https://theconversation.com/why-you-keep-buying-books-you-dont-read-and-why-it-feels-so-good-286801
