Here I am, sitting at the Lily Pond Bench. It’s funny because I’ve walked past it many times, but I’ve never actually sat on this Bench before. It’s probably one of the most inviting benches. It is surrounded by trees and has a view over a lovely little pond full of lily pads and reeds. There’s enough space between the trees to see a lot of the sky and clouds too.
This Bench smells different. It has a line of big pine trees planted behind it as a windbreak. The scent from the pine needles on the warm breeze today is decidedly different from the eucalyptus trees. Pine needles sound different to other leaves when the wind blows through them too. I’m not sure which sound I prefer. I like them both.
….. 4:46 pm
I’ve been sitting on this Bench for a long time today. Not a single person has walked past me. It’s like my own personal little space in the world, and it’s so peaceful. There’s something in the air today, it feels like promise, or hope. Or like the air itself has something to offer me, to give to me, some kind of gift? But what that is, I don’t know. Well, maybe I do. As I’m sitting here doing absolutely nothing other than sitting, in my body I feel so much life. I feel so much health that it doesn’t feel possible for me to actually be sick.
— Catherine