I walk on the beach a lot and I used to pick up shells, but I don’t do that anymore.

                  It’s hard to get an interesting shell on any of our Atlantic beaches.

                  But I pick up stones. Flat stones in myriad shapes and colors. They might measure an inch or two across. They are more interesting than ordinary shells, in my opinion.

                  The stones I like the most are the ones with a round hole through them. I can’t imagine how the holes get there. With shells you can figure it out: some strong creature with an appetite for shellfish bores through the shell. But that makes no sense with a stone, of course.

                  The little stones with a hole or two look like they belong in a bonsai arrangement, which is a miniature of an interesting place on the big Earth.

                  I take the stones home with me. It’s OK to take things from the beaches that are not alive. I don’t mean sand. You can’t take the sand.

                  I take only one per day; well, maybe two or sometimes three. When I get home with the stones I put them in my garden, which is bigger than a bonsai, but not much.

                  The stones look nice in the little garden and each one reminds me that I took a walk one day on the beach, always a thrill and a treat.

Ken Matthews, Lantana

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