Benched Week 45: what comes and goes

My year of benched sitting is ending.

Last week, while relaxing in Piedmont Park in downtown Atlanta, I had time to ponder what I’ve learned since I started writing about benches one year ago.  And though it can’t cover all the nuances of what I’ve been taught, my Piedmont outing brought home two key lessons.

As I made my way through the park and around the lake where romance blossomed,



and the skyline was dramatically framed,



I was hoping to find an empty swing that were scattered about in the shade.



Ultimately I settled on a lakeside bench to take in the water and the magnificent magnolias nearby.



As I watched, into my view a family of geese swam, creating a lovely image.  They reminded me of the first great lesson of bench-sitting: if you wait, an interesting moment will find you.  I have a tendency to overthink things, wanting to plan out what will happen at any given place.  It’s been good for me to allow room for the unexpected. 



Then, as I got up to leave, I made the decision to go back and talk more with Fabian.  I had passed the young stranger on the way in, stopping briefly when I noticed his sketchbook.  I had asked him about his art and got him to show me his favorite drawing.  My compliment about his work, he said, made his day.



When I returned to him, I sat down.  I took more time.  I asked if I could draw him something, then sketched out a portrait of him – to his great amusement – with space for him to add his own details.



And this is the second great lesson I’ve learned: sometimes you have to go find the interesting moment. Though it may seem contradictory, it actually is a nuance of the first truth.  That moment that comes along often requires an action – an outside-the-comfort-zone response.  It might be looking foolish while dramatically photographing a rather ordinary family of geese.  Or it might be taking the time to engage with a stranger.

The key is to put yourself in a place long enough for Opportunity to sidle up, whisper and wink.  I think he much prefers that to knocking.

And so, the year is up.  Am I done?   Is this it for my posts?

That depends, a fair bit, on you.  If you have been reading these posts and enjoying them – I’ll keep going. My larger questions about my art remain unanswered, and there are multitudes of benches left for me to find.  But I’ll only continue if there’s a purpose beyond a personal musing.

What do you think?  I'd like your perspective.

While you ponder, I think I’ll sit down over here and wait.  Something interesting is bound to happen.