Monica Inman Overbey was in the bathroom of Brother\u2019s Family Restaurant in Allied Gardens when she saw something unusual \u2014 a bright, colorfully painted rock sitting on the counter.<\/p>\n \u201cWe live in Ohio,\u201d she said. \u201cAnd when my husband was diagnosed with chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension, they told us there was no treatment there and recommended we go to San Diego. We were at a restaurant with our son and Airbnb host when I found the rock. It was amazing just to find a rock amidst the situation we were going through.\u201d<\/p>\n The rock originally belonged to the local Facebook group, San Carlos Rocks (#SCROCKS) which paints and hides rocks in local spots like Lake Murray and Dailard Park. It was inspired by similar groups such as Santee Rocks, which has grown to 14,000 members since it started last May; and Allied Gardens Rocks which started last June and has 533 members.<\/p>\n \u201cA lot of us were going out to Santee and finding rocks and hiding them and we thought, San Carlos needs one too,\u201d said Katie Shields, #SCROCKS founder who founded the San Carlos Rocks group in July of last year. \u201cWe have a real sense of community here and there\u2019s a lot of kids and adults here and so I figured why not?\u201d<\/p>\n Shields created the group in July of last year and manages it through its Facebook page. Since starting, it has climbed in membership from just her inner circle to over 572 members.<\/p>\n \u201cMost of [the rocks] have been hidden all over San Diego, in parks, gas stations and outside of any kind of business,\u201d said Karen Clary, San Carlos Rocks Facebook page administrator. \u201cI took about 50 rocks with me when my husband and I drove to Iowa last November and we left one at almost every place we stopped.\u201d<\/p>\n Rock designs span from the most intricate floral arrangements to simple ladybug spots and vibrant splatter paint stripes.<\/p>\n \u201cPainting rocks is therapeutic for me and it’s a way to spread love and kindness,\u201d Clary added.<\/p>\n After painting the rocks according to group guidelines, members hide them around San Carlos for others to find with a note on the back sharing the URL for the Facebook page.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n There are also some group rules to follow, such as: don\u2019t hide rocks in schools; don\u2019t decorate rocks with glue on decorations that could potentially fall off and become litter; not taking rocks from protected habitats; don\u2019t put rocks in chain stores or businesses that don\u2019t want them; don\u2019t rocks in lawn areas where lawnmowers would get damaged; and don\u2019t rocks with foul language, political statements or advertising.<\/p>\n \u201cThere are enough things going on in the world that bring people against one another, and so much bashing and hurtful things being said over social media, but this brings people together,\u201d Overbey said. \u201cThe purpose is to bring kindness to others, this is just to make your day happier and let you know that someone is caring about you.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cToday, my husband and I stopped at a little coffee shop in Adelaide, Australia and there was a sign in the shop that said \u2018Be the reason someone smiles today.\u2019 I think that’s what our rocks do.\u201d<\/p>\n For more information about San Carlos Rocks or how to hide\/hunt for rocks, check out their Facebook page, tinyurl.com\/yagd8d6l<\/a> or follow #SCROCKS on Instagram.<\/p>\n![\"Rocks](\"https:\/\/missiontimescourier.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/Cover-rock.jpg\")
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