Today I am thinking about rocks.

Those of you who know me in person or on social media know I have an obsession with sharks and other marine creatures, and that’s probably a post for another day. But I’ve also always had an interest in geology. (Actually most of the natural sciences. Again, a post for another day.)

This afternoon, I am thinking of this rock. It’s on the counter at Replay Games, the store I own with CJ in downtown Fargo. We found this rock inside our store after it was used to break the window during the riot last month.

But this isn’t a post about that. I still don’t believe I have anything valuable to contribute to that discussion. Everyone is screaming about everything, and I’m overwhelmed.

Connor was holding this rock today and he said, “This rock is heavy, and it is pretty.” He seemed pretty intrigued by the idea that it had these two attributes. He didn’t say much more about it, but it got me thinking.

Rocks are classified by their attributes. Much more scientifically than “heavy” and “pretty,” but the concept is similar. Rocks of the same type have the same characteristics. Sedimentary, metamorphic, igneous. Ringing any bells?

It is human nature to sort things. It is how we make sense of the world. Sometimes we discover that the system of sorting is inaccurate, and we need to adjust. But most of life is sortable. But we do ourselves a disservice when we assume that humans are as easily sortable as rocks.

I’m going to talk about sorting myself, sorting ourselves, because I think that how we see ourselves has power.

Too often I look at my attributes and see how they don’t quite fit. I feel like a platypus. A mammal, except that it lays eggs, which is distinctly un-mammalian.

~I like to play games, but I’m not at all competitive.

~I like to bake, but cooking everyday is a challenge.

~I love to read, but haven’t been able to pick up a new book in months. All I do is reread old favorites.

~I like people, but I really struggle to talk to them.

The thing is though, all those other people who I think are mammals? They’re actually platypuses too. Everyone is a platypus. Now that’s not to say we’re all the same, because we’re not. At all. That’s the point. We are alike in our uniqueness. We all have distinct attributes and roles and that is what makes us human, and why we can relate to each other despite not being the same.

I realize I’ve drifted pretty far from rocks, which if you follow this blog often, you know that’s what happens. The thoughts percolate through and turn into something else. Like the water that percolate through the coffee grounds and becomes that delicious elixir, coffee.

So in conclusion, I will leave you with another seemingly random connection that my brain made while writing this piece: