Little gnomes like these painted by Michelle Furlow can bring magic to anyone’s day, the Naperville woman says. "Someone will pick it up and think this is for me; it’s such a gift,” she said. (Michelle Furlow / HANDOUT)

Sometimes it’s all about the little things. Making a meaningful connection with someone you don’t know, summoning up a smile when you don’t feel like it, sprinkling a little magic as you go.

If you think about it, you could argue these are not little things at all.

The Kindness Rocks project has been bringing joy to Naperville for the past five years. It’s a whimsical idea in which anyone who wants to can leave a painted rock in a public area for someone else to find.

That’s pretty much it. No hidden agenda to sell or coerce. Just a way to brighten up someone’s day.

There are groups like this all around the country and beyond. Naperville’s was started by Ann Zediker.

A bouquet of flowers can brighten anyone’s day, even if they’re painted on rocks, as members of Kindness Rocks Naperville have found. (Michelle Furlow / HANDOUT)

“What I love is there is no set structure; any age can do it,” she said. “Some people are more artistic than others. It’s an example of true kindness and generosity because no one has expectations about finding one. They’re a bit like butterflies. Just a thing of beauty you come across.”

Zediker first heard about the idea from her aunt, who found a painted rock and suggested it might be a fun project for her to do with her children.

“I thought what a cool thing to do,” she said. “I am not artistic. In fact, I can barely draw stick figures. But I thought about it and knew I had a lot of friends in Naperville with kids the same age.”

Before starting the Facebook group Kindness Rocks Naperville, she checked with the park district to make sure it would be OK for people to leave small rocks in public areas like the Riverwalk. The only rule they had was not to leave any in an area where a lawnmower could run over it.

The idea quickly took off and the group now has more than 1,500 members. Group rock painting events have even been held at places like Pinot’s Palette.

“I did a walk for cancer support and laid rocks down the side of the path beforehand so everyone who participated could see them along the route,” said Zediker, who is director of human resources for Loaves and Fishes.

“On the Facebook group, some people leave clues where to find their rocks. Others may take them out of Naperville when they go on vacation. All have #KindnessRocksNaperville on the back or a Facebook link so we can track them. We’ve had some of ours travel as far as Canada.”

Zediker recommends using permanent markers or gel pens to decorate the rocks before sealing them with Mod Podge spray. She mostly uses large beach pebbles which she buys from home improvement stores, but you can just use rocks you find in your yard too.

What began as a way to give thanks has turned into a passion for Naperville resident Michelle Furlow, who loves to paint rocks and leave them for people to find. (Michelle Furlow / HANDOUT)

“I did a dragonfly, which I left in Colorado when I was on vacation,” she said. “A woman contacted me to say her dad had found it when he was having a particularly horrible day and it gave him a different experience. It touches so many in a way that’s priceless.”

Michelle Furlow sees the project as a way to pay it forward. After her son had a nasty accident, she was so touched by the outpouring of care from her neighbors that she wanted to do something to thank them.

“My son, who was eight at the time, had an accident at a local swimming pool where he fell from high dive and broke his collar bone,” she said. “Our neighbors were so caring and kind, I thought thank you notes wouldn’t cover it. We started painting rocks as a hobby to put the good back in the Maplebrook community where we live and it’s just been going ever since.”

During last year’s tornado, her family lost a huge tree from their front yard, leaving them with an ugly stump. Furlow has turned it into a kindness garden, full of beautiful rocks and a sign inviting people to take one or leave one of their own.

Furlow, who works as a criminal justice professor, is preparing to do a lecture on the rocks at an upcoming Naperville Ted Talk.

“It’s such a joy finding out how far the rocks travel. I left one in northern Wisconsin when we were visiting my parents and someone found it and took it Iceland,” she said.

“It’s been really fascinating when people share a story about what it means to them to find one. A neighbor left a note about a rock I’d left out with a sunrise painted on it and the word ‘dawn.’ She said her husband’s sister had just died and she was called Dawn. When they found it, it was like his sister was saying everything is OK. It was such a comfort to them.”

Furlow signs her rocks Michelle Magpie and is always happy to learn where people find them.

“Its very relaxing and certainly not a hobby where you need a lot of artistic talent,” she said. “It’s a way you can interpret kindness with a positive word or a splash of color. Someone will pick it up and think this is for me; it’s such a gift.”

Hilary Decent is a freelance journalist who moved to Naperville from England in 2007.