Sitting on a Story
Sitting on a Story Blog
Bench Insider:
1. I’ve chosen a picnic bench that sits below a willow tree in a park that I have grown up in. This particular park has been a part of my life for as long as I can remember and was my instant choice for this project. This bench has been involved in so many events and phases in my life that will bring me stories to tell my children one day. This bench has been the setting for many sessions of sharing stories and gossip and i’ve made friends here and lost them as well. I’ve had some of my best days and even some of my worst days at this bench. Through the good and the bad, it has never moved, not once. It’s always been always there, watching as I change. The bench is wooden and rough to the touch, representing its timeless existence. The surface is engraved with endless carvings of people who also sat at this bench before me. There are drawings that mean something to someone out in the world and initials that belong to people living their separate lives. The bench is cold this time of year but kept warm with the memories lived.
2. I can’t help but notice the fresh, crisp air that I smell as I sit here. The cold air fills my nostrils and freezes my body. The park is almost empty. I see two children playing on the playground nearby, with their puffy coats and toques on. A father sits on a bench pretending to watch. He’s thinking about something else. Maybe he’s overwhelmed from work, or the wife is angry again. Either way, he’s there, and he exists. I notice that much. I think about how full the park used to get in the summer. I would observe from the exact spot I am sitting in now, watching the families bonding under the warmth of the sun. Children were running and screaming with their animal companions following. Kites soared, frisbees were thrown, barbeques smoked. The smell of hot dogs filled the air and kept us hungry. I would turn my head, and all the people I considered closest to me sat around at the same table. Their faces glowed from the cast of the sun, and I could see the intricate patterns that were hidden within their eyes. They existed too, and they all chose to spend their day sitting on this bench together. I remember not being able to get the thought of this moment coming to an end out of my head. It sort of made me sad. We were graduating, and just like the summer, our friendships would come to an end as we phase into new beginnings and move along with our own lives. This day would come to an end, and so would this chapter. Now that I sit here in the dead of winter, closer to graduating than ever, I have the same feeling. The thing is no one’s here with me now. I still have the sentiment I remember, and it makes me realize that I am not afraid of the connections that might diminish, but it’s the fact that I am growing up. I wish I could go back in time and make that day, and every day spent at this bench last a little longer. Hold onto that feeling of complete freedom and the childlike laughter that filled that entire summer. I want to feel at peace with the feeling of being on my own, but I can’t quite seem to grasp it.
Bench Dedication:
3. If I could dedicate a bench to myself, I’d place it in a warm part of the world, like Europe. Somewhere where summer lasts all year. That way, I wouldn’t have to reminisce about the summer and all the things that it brings, every time the season ends. I want the bench to be near a popular beach with a view of the water, so my soul can swim in the crystal-clear waves whenever it likes. After, I could sit on the bench and watch other souls, trapped in human bodies living their own lives. The inscription would say, “Here sits a nostalgic soul, chasing freedom and the simple experience of being alive. A dreamer rooted deep in memory, yet always looking forward in hopes it will all work out. May all who sit here feel the warmth of the sun and the infinite possibility of living your best life.” I hope that decades from now, people who sit on this bench can relate to the inscription and reflect it on their own lives. I want them to sense my presence and the memory of a lifetime sitting beside them. They can live out the dream of my soul and become everything they’ve ever wanted.
4. If I could dedicate a bench to someone, it would be my sister. I would dedicate every bench to my sister if I could. She’s my biggest role model and has been since the day I was born. One of her benches would be in Sydney, Australia. My sister is a traveller beyond its title. You could rarely catch her in a radius of 1,000 miles. Though, no matter how far she is, she’s always there for me. My sister has turned 30-minute drives into 10 for me and somehow makes hour long phone calls feel like 5. She’s the only person in the world who’s never let me down, and that’s why I want to dedicate a bench to her. Out of all the places she’s been, I think Sydney is the one she’s most drawn to. Australia is where she truly found herself and watching her grow into someone anyone would admire has only deepened my inspiration. The bench would carry a simple but meaningful inscription that says, “Here sits an older sister.” Just a few words can say a million things. It’s simple, just like the way she loves me and like all sister’s do. Sisterly love is shown differently in every family but it's all the same, unconditional.
A Day at the Park Journal Entry:
5. Today I visited the park my bench lays in. It was a sunny but cold Saturday afternoon when I arrived at the park. Earlier that morning I was quite tired and unsure if I would make it out to the park today. I had a disappointing realization about someone close to me the night before so I knew I would have lots to think about at least. Before leaving the house, I had poured myself a bowl of cereal followed by milk because I knew it was going to be a long day of thinking, and I couldn’t have done it on an empty stomach. I promised myself that I would stay away from technology today but made an exception for music. I wouldn’t dare walk without the “walking” playlist in motion. The walk there was peaceful. The streets were so quiet, at one point I decided to turn off the music and tune into the silence hidden behind my loud thoughts. I was pretty much alone aside from the occasional dogwalkers I would pass. I stopped at my local corner store and picked up a coffee in hopes it would keep my hands warm throughout the journey to the park. It burnt at first but after time it was the perfect temperature. The sun beamed onto my face from time to time. It reminded me of this specific feeling I get in this type of weather. It’s a feeling I can’t explain but it's one that has held onto me ever since I could first remember. It’s like a moment of stillness where everything outside of you feels distant, but it’s not heavy or overwhelming. The cold makes everything feel sharp, like I’m more aware of everything around me, but the sun brings some comfort. It’s not a bad feeling, but it’s unsettling in a way, like everything fades away for a moment. There’s no urgency, no strong emotion, just a weird stillness that takes over, and I can’t quite explain why it happens, only that it does during this weather. As I finally approached the park, I stood for a while before stepping further away from the sidewalk. I looked into the distance and there were clouds in the sky that day. The sky was also clear and a tone of light blue which only furthered my joy. For just a moment I wasn’t thinking. I could only hear the wind brushing past the evergreen trees, the seagulls calling to others in the distance, and the noise the sun projected. Not a physical noise, but like a throbbing wave of sound that I imagine it would make if we could actually hear it. After taking it all in, I continued through the park. I walked along the grass field looking down at the grass this time, speculating how many strings of green there were in the ground. Standing at the end of the field I could see the picnic table below the hill. There was a woman sitting there at my bench. I decided to sit on the hill and observe while I waited my turn. She looked like she was in her mid 30’s and was dressed quite nice. She was staring down at her phone scrolling on what seemed like social media. I wondered why she was there. Why the day has led her to this bench. It’s not like she was dressed for simply sitting on a bench at the park on a cold Saturday afternoon. What felt like maybe 10 or 15 minutes she got a phone call. I couldn’t quite make out what was being said but she had a smile on her face, got up, and left. I hope everything she was hoping for at that moment worked out for her. I waited until she was long gone before I took her place on the bench. I wouldn’t want her to think I waited all that while to sit there. It’s not like I minded waiting, and I really didn’t have anything better to do. Now I am sitting on the bench, watching and listening to everything around me. I waited for people to walk by so that I could add them to my train of thought. Barely anyone did, but one individual stood out to me. An older man who stood near where I stood at the top of the hill was glancing down on me this time. I don't know if he was directly staring at me but at least in my direction for a while. I wondered if he was observing me like I was the woman. Maybe he just wanted the bench or maybe he was reminiscing about his youth. Maybe he saw himself in me, or even just maybe this bench meant as much to him as it did for me. Honestly, he probably just wanted a place to sit, but I like to wonder. It’s much more fun. After a couple of minutes, I did get up and leave in case he did really want to sit. It was already getting to be dinner time, and I had left the house quite a while ago. I walked across the field on my way back and took everything in for the last time. The sound, the feeling, the surroundings. I felt so much calmer, like this trip to the park was a breath of fresh air. I need to go to the park alone more often.
A Poem to go with My Bench:
You Only Live Once - by Melissa Vance
You Only Live Once…
So laugh as much as you can
Laughter can cure even the greatest ills and make even the worst days better
It can even reconcile the most troubled of friendships
You Only Live Once…
So find those who love you for you and stick by them
Those are the people who will matter in the long run
And those are the people who will stand by you when things fall apart
They will ALWAYS be there to pick you up if you let them.
You Only Live Once…
So don’t sweat the small stuff
You will make mistakes but everyone does
It’s not about the mistakes that you make but how you handle them after the fact
Pick yourself back up. Keep moving. Everything will be OK.
You Only Live Once…
So find what you are passionate for and go for it
When you find your passion, you find something that will get you up in the morning and make you excited to live.
Passion exhilarates you. It makes you alive.
Embrace that. You will never regret that.
You Only Live Once…
So trust in God and His plan.
He knows what He wants for you and when you let Him take the wheel, everything will fall into place.
Believe in Him. He won’t let you fall.
You Only Live Once…
So give it your all and nothing less.
This way you don’t ever have regrets and no one can ever tell you that you have to try harder
Also this way you know at the end of the day that you’ve done all that you could to make your day the best it could be
You Only Live Once…
So be happy. Take chances. Make the best out of what you were given and never take anything for granted.
You never know when something could be taken away from you and you never know when your time will come to an end
You only know that You Only Live Once…
6. I chose the poem “You Only Live Once” by Melissa Vance because it portrays the idea of how fast life goes by and the best thing to do is to make the most of it. It connects to my bench because aside from all the overwhelming things that life usually brings, we have to reconnect with the real meaning of being alive on earth. To create connections and surround ourselves in nature and with joy. I don’t think humans were placed on earth to be slaved at work or to live a life filled with stress and anxiety. We take the present for granted and forget what we already had to begin with. If someone constantly focuses on the future they will only live there and skip a whole chapter that can only be read once. The bench puts me in the present. It makes me aware of my surroundings and lets me forget about the future for a moment. I look at everything around me and it feels peaceful. The bench brings people together and I sit here with my friends, enjoying the moment. While laughing and creating memories we aren’t thinking of everything that is wrong with the world or our lives, we are just making the best of what we were given, and that feels rare these days. When tuning into the present I notice the way the sunlight filters through the trees, the sounds of birds chirping, and the laughter of people passing by. Beautiful things that I might have missed if I didn't stay in the moment. It reminds me that life isn’t about rushing to get somewhere or chasing things that don’t truly matter. It’s about moments like these, where you can just be present and feel at peace.
7. I also chose the poem because it reflects my perspective on life. We only live one life, and there is only so much time to do what we want. My goal is to lie on my deathbed with absolutely no regrets. You never know “when your time will come to an end,” and every day should be spent to its fullest potential. The only thing that truly matters at the end of the day is that you gave it your all. There will be bad days, and you will “make mistakes,” but none of that matters if you learn to “pick yourself back up.” I let things happen and learn from the experience, or I make the same mistake again and eventually learn. I allow life to unfold and trust that things will work out in time. It can be scary sometimes, but I have to believe that everything is going to be fine, and I try to make peace with that. I take every opportunity I can and seize every moment I am given. I want to be successful, and I want to live every dream I have. I am grateful for the “passion” and motivation I have, and I never take that “for granted.” I try to avoid things that negatively impact my life, but sometimes they happen, and it is “ok” because, after all, I am only human, and I “only live once.”
Park Power:
8. The purpose of a park is to give people a place to enjoy the outdoors, play, or socialize. They're areas where you can get some fresh air no matter what you are doing, and they also help make the neighbourhood nicer. I think parks are like little escapes in the middle of a busy life. No matter how terrible everything can seem, it’s a space where you can disconnect and just exist. You can simply sit on a bench and feel at peace instantly. The surroundings just kind of take you in, and you might not even notice it. They’re a great place to take a break and reconnect with yourself and your meaning of life. Watching families bonding, kids running and screaming, or even someone walking their dog, and it just feels real. It’s the small details that remind you the world isn’t all bad. Parks kind of slow everything down for a little bit and let you just be.
Graduation Poem:
9. The Edge of Seventeen - by me
I’ve waited so long for this moment
High school always felt like something I needed to escape,
like I couldn’t get out fast enough
The routines, the long days, the same faces,
I wanted more
But now it’s so close, and I don’t know how to let go
Every hallway feels different
Every joke with friends feels like it won’t happen again
I don’t want it all to end
At the same time, I’m excited
New people, new places,
a chance to grow into someone I haven’t been yet
But the thought of doing it all on my own scares me
I’m stuck in between
Between what I know and what’s ahead
Between the comfort of staying and the excitement of leaving
I know it’s time to move on,
but part of me wishes I could stay just a little longer
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