You Ever Take Your Seat For Granted?

(Bench on the Brooklyn Bridge photograph by irenesuchocki)

         This bit of 'Eye Poetry'...(that's what it says on the banner in this etsy shop....Oooo! I like that!! ^_^)...caught my eye when I was thinking about writing a poem this morning about things we take for granted.

    I was thinking about one thing in particular...which, don't worry, I'm not gonna get in depth about here!...and stop applauding too!! ^_^...I was gonna write about that particular thing when I started thinking about how there's really a lot of things I sometimes take for granted. Things that are always there. Most of the time inconspicuous. But soooo necessary for me to enjoy my life. I'm sure I'm not alone in this!

        For some reason, when I was just about to write my poem, I thought about benches. I guess I thought about them because they're a perfect symbol for things we take for granted, aren't they?!

 (Bench in Burano Italy-Print by ljangphotography)

        The poem, which is at the end of this post, has a lot deeper meaning than you'll ever know. But, of course, that's what poets do, don't they?!  See deeper meaning in mundane things?! ^_^ And I...even though most of the time I'm talking or showing off my crocheting...am a Poet! :-) So, you'll have to insert your own meaning into this poem. I don't think you'll find it hard to do. :-]

(Central Park Bench Print by brickfeet)

       So, what things do you take for granted?! I'm not gonna talk specifics about what inspired the poem, but I'll tell you a few things I've taken for granted...People! For sure! People who were steady, always there, helping me out when I needed it. In fact, I took them so for granted that I didn't notice how much they were doing for me until they weren't there anymore! *shaking my head* Isn't that always the way?!

     But I've taken other, more obscure things, for granted too. Like the ability to walk freely, without a cane....Or the ability to write for hours without muscle cramps or scattered thought!

         (White bench in the orange Autumn woods by LisaRussoPhotography)

          The ability to see!^_^ It sounds funny, but when you look at little crochet stitches and little words on paper all the time, and then one day you realize you need glasses on to see them!.....Oh yeah! I've taken my sight for granted!...And maybe my youth too! :-)

        And I've taken benches for granted too. Maybe that's why they came up when I thought of this subject...Over the years, as my mobility became less and less, I found that I lived between benches!...Anybody with bad legs or without the ability to stand up for long periods of time will know exactly what I mean! :-))

(New Orleans Iron Bench photograph by rebeccaplotnick)

       Thinking back about it now, what comes to mind are some of the choices I made because of a bench! No kidding!...I chose doctors because they had good benches, either outside their office or in the hallways. And I changed doctors for that very same reason one time too!...I chose places to eat because they had extra waiting area that had good benches! Ha! Ha! 

      I even chose an apartment to live in one time because my bench would look pretty on the over-hang porch! ^_^ I even mentally rated parks and vacation spots based on the availability of benches!!

(Benches Photograph by MLphotographs)

        And when parks changed their layout, doctors changed their furniture, or restaurants went with a different aesthetic, most people probably didn't even notice. I mean who notices benches anyway...besides great photographers I mean?! ^_^ But I noticed...in retrospect. I took them for granted until they weren't around as much as they used to be.

       They were making my life so much more comfortable and easy without me hardly noticing. They were steady. Reliable. A good place to rest and have a chat. The best place in the world to have to wait! {And I had to wait a lot in my life!} They were quiet places for mental poetry. And with a little sun coming through the trees....superb places to people watch! :-)

(Millions of Benches Print by thebqe)

       Now, I know today's post is a little bit off the beaten path of my usual crocheting and talking silliness, but some days it's just like that! ^_^ I was in a kind of 'need-to-be-more-grateful' mood and I thought I would share...in the way that "I" do! :-)

      I hope this post makes you think about some of the things you take for granted on a daily basis. And if it's objects or arrangements...give 'em a little love today! They may need some water, or need to be cleaned, or whatever!! LOL 

     If it's pets or people...(friends, relatives, etc.)...give them a little love today too! 'You' choose how. :-) I have some phone calls and some letters to write!...Have a good day everybody! Don't take it for granted!

Benches

Wooden, with an indent.
Sturdy, aged by the sun.
A place to rest when you are tired.
A stop when you are on the run.

A slatted back, for resting shoulders,
and cemented to the ground.
A wrought-iron rusted swirly arm-rest,
and a place to put bags down.

A place for you to catch a bus,
or to feed a hungry squirrel.
Where good friends can stop and chat
about the big news of the world.

Alone and beaten by the weather,
chipping paint, long past brand new.
Almost like some people we know,
who are inconspicuous too.

So reliably unnoticed,
all the benches that we pass.
Sitting there, just waiting for us,
if we do run out of gas.