There Are More Fish In The Sea ...

“There are more fish in the sea”

      ~ A twist on the well-known idiom “there are plenty more fish in the sea,” used to console someone whose romantic relationship has ended by pointing out that there are many other people with whom they may have a successful relationship in the future. This expression alludes to the proverb there are as good fish in the sea as ever came out of it.

I spotted this rock painted with the words “There Are More Fish in the Sea!” on a mid-February afternoon in 2019 at Whitehall Parkway, just off the Ironton Rail Trail.

Then I thought I’d have some fun with it … why not put these fish in the sea?! So I blended it with “Tides of Dixie,” a shot I took of an autumn tide of the Atlantic Ocean rolling majestically into Coligny Beach on Hilton Head Island in the Lowcountry of South Carolina in October 2016.

The Ironton Rail Trail loops more than nine miles through Whitehall Township, the Borough of Coplay and North Whitehall Township in Pennsylvania.

The Ironton Railroad was a shortline railroad in Lehigh County. Originally built in 1861 to haul iron ore and limestone to blast furnaces along the Lehigh River, traffic later shifted to carrying Portland Cement when local iron mining declined in the early 20^th century. Much of the railroad had already been abandoned when it became part of Conrail in 1976, and the last of its trackage was removed in 1984.

In 1996, Whitehall Township purchased 9.2 miles of the right-of-way from Conrail, transforming it into the Ironton Rail Trail.

This painted rock is likely part of the The Kindness Rocks Project, which was founded by Megan Murphy of Cape Cod, Massachusetts, who wanted to spread encouraging messages to strangers by writing them on rocks she found on the beach. The practice spread and launched similar projects across the United States.

The grassroots project encourages people to leave rocks painted with inspiring messages along the path of life. People are encouraged to take one, share one or add to the pile. You can see just how much impact she’s made when looking up #TheKindnessRocksProject. Learn more about how to join the movement at http://thekindnessrocksproject.com.