Benches

Pump House

I am drawn to places with benches. Hmmm, or maybe it’s just benches themselves. Selfishly, of course, because I enjoy the “act” of sitting and benches fit right into that joyful act. The people who put benches where I find them must understand this type of joy because I very often find benches in exactly the places I would have put them. This morning, I watched the moon set in the west and thought a lot about benches and sitting. (One of my thoughts: if anyone was walking by and saw me sitting in the dark watching the moon, they might be wondering…the “Old Man and the Moon.”) But…I digress. Again.

Watching the sinking moon this morning, I tried to remember some of the benches I’ve “consumed” and realized I’d left a great deal of seeing unseen. The beauty of sitting is letting myself open up to all that’s around me. That’s not as easy as it sounds. In fact, it’s nigh impossible even though I am trying harder. I’ve built up “filters” and biases that screen out the world around. For instance, hearing traffic from a mile away highway distracts me and I miss the birds in the tree right next to me or the flowing water in the canal in front of me.

Patience. Yeah, right. I think this is a skill. I’m a beginner. Maybe “Benches” would be a good project for future images and for an archives search. I’ll have to sit down somewhere and think about it.