Spread Goodness Day rocks! Woman’s mission to spread kindness one painted rock at a time
WATFORD CITY, N.D. (WJMN) – Kristine McPeak, formerly living in the Upper Peninsula and now in North Dakota, is on a mission to spread goodness rocks she paints called ‘love bugs.’
“I take them to the gas station,” said McPeak. “Yesterday a little boy, I saw he was walking around with his mom and I went around to find a rock I hid and someone already took it. So, I grabbed another one and I kind of put it on the shelf and pushed it in front of mom so she could see it and I gave her an eyeball contact and she’s like, ‘Look honey!’ He picked up this little rock like this. He took it to the counter and set it down and the cashier said, ‘Oh wow. Look at what you found!’ He gave it a little kiss and I said, ‘Oh you found a love bug!’ Well the mom paints rocks in Montana. It was like a cool little coincidence.
McPeak not only paints rocks for others and leaves them in places, she also holds events where people can paint rocks as she shares her knowledge of mental health techniques and wellness tips. McPeak has been involved with Spread Goodness Day since the beginning.
“I saw that Anna [Dravland, founder of Spread Goodness Day] was starting a program and I’m like, “Let me help you. How can I help you?’ I thought it was a physical event. She told me, ‘Well we’re just putting events online.’ So I arranged and event at a restaurant in Gwinn that’s no longer in business, but we did rock painting on that Friday evening. I would say 15 or 20 adults painted rocks and had a blast. This year though, I am doing an online event in addition to two local events here in North Dakota. So, I have some friends from Michigan, a friend from Washington state and people who are showing up to my online event. Every month I do an art class on the first Friday. So this year, we’re going to be focusing on what we can do that spreads kindness. I’ll brainstorm with people, get their ideas, get them thinking so this next week, they can start to think about how they can do something for March 8th, the second Friday of the month. Beyond that, I’m going to host something at the library the second Friday of every month and really build up the momentum so that next year, North Dakota is not gonna know what hit them with goodness and kindness.”
The message is spreading in North Dakota as the state has officially proclaimed Spread Goodness Day as March 8, 2024.
“I say it’s like a ripple in the pond,” said McPeak. “You drop a pebble in or a boulder in and it ripples out. I’ve tried to live my life being a ripple of positivity, a ripple of hope and resourcefulness. Not all of my life has been peaches and roses, but I’ve managed to continue to come back to that true north for me to be kind to others and to be compassionate. Like last year, I sent out probably 350 rocks to about 10 different states and people hid them. Some made it to Hawaii, some made it to Alaska, Tennessee, Arkansas. I still hear from people. I’ve been painting rocks since the first rock I found on [Peter Nordeen Park] Covered Bridge in Gwinn. It was shaped like a pie. They made it look like a pizza. It was really thick. I would have made it a chocolate cake. I started painting rocks and I’ve heard from people that they keep rocks on their nightstand that I’ve gifted them. We just don’t know what kind of legacy we leave. We just don’t know how we impact people. There are a lot of contagious things out there. I was joking that I haven’t worn much makeup since COVID. A lot of things changed for me in a positive way since that time and I just want to continue to share that. I just want to continue to be like a lighthouse. A beacon of kindness and compassion for ourselves and for others.”
This is not where the love bug story ends, so stay tuned.
“I have a little story behind the love bug that I’ll be writing a children’s book for kids of all ages around the love bug and some other characters that have come up through my counseling, my own therapy and just the work that I’ve been doing to move out of the shadows,” said McPeak. “We tend to be afraid of those shadows, but you gotta remember there’s light. You can’t have shadow without light so leaning into the goodness, leaning into the kindness, leaning towards the light.”
To learn more how McPeak is spreading goodness, visit her Facebook page or website.
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