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| The bench. |
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| View of street corner from the bench. |
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| View of flower cluster on a tree from the bench. |
I woke up this morning, a bit earlier than usual, quickly peeked outside my temporary window, and saw the amazing sunrise. The highlights and shadows glistening upon our front yard had a surreal effect. I instantly wanted to run outside, sans shoes, still in pjs to capture the dewey air and hard contrasts.
We have a bench at the hairline edge of our yard. Initially, it was placed there to prettify our property. It's since become the sitting place for waiting mothers as their children board and anxiously jump off the school bus. We don't mind. In fact, every time someone sits there, it absorbs a bit of their story which we see. It adds character.
So, I got to thinking. Life is so hectic, so fast, so about the now and what I can get done or acquire today, leaving little if any time to ever sit down and have a quiet moment to reflect.We have that bench. An old, weathered bench that's anchored hundreds of families over the last 15 years. My family has also sat there as a unit. But, to sit on my own, taking in the fresh air, listening to the owls hoot and detailing the spider webs that are spun just about every day, could give new meaning to my day.
As such, I will commit to taking a time to breath. To reflect. To pause and think about my own story. What reverb will someone else feel when I sit there? I'll use it as my chance to embrace every day as a new opportunity to challenge myself to make it the best it can be. To see everything there is to see, even the sticky lace that acts as home to little creatures, to fragile leaves burnt by the sun and to the story of others and they come and go. The colorful range of flowers my father's planted for us to enjoy are an added bonus to focus my eye on as I think about the sphere I live in and how everything I do impacts the next day.
I like benches. I never thought of them as an enigma. I'm glad the sunlight brought its force to my attention.
Who knows what other thoughts and ideas will be born from sitting still 20 minutes a day. Whatever they may be, I look forward to the juxtaposition of a sloth-paced beginning and anxiety of what's to come. It's so exciting!
