Benches are for resting......

We were given this bench from Della's cousins. It belonged to Della's Aunt Irene and when she passed away, it was given to us. In many ways I am sure they were thinking that Clarence, Della's dad could sit on it out in the garden. That is what I thought but I have only seen him sit there once with our Yellow Kitty rubbing up against him. Farmers really never rest much and Clarence had a hard time learning that he could just sit and enjoy. He has been with us over six years now, and I kept thinking he could go out and sit on the porch and watch the world go by and he didn't have any obligations of things to do to make him feel guilty about it. But he still is a farmer and I think that he is afraid that he would be viewed as lazy if he sits out there. That is one of the reasons I think he has to walk three blocks up town at least once a week, to show that he can. Before he moved in with us he was still living in his home and was cutting a large tree down with his chain saw. Of course he ended up with a heart attack and in the hospital. He was 92 then and really couldn't take care of himself. His eyesight is also poor and as things developed, he now lives with us. Who he is and how he is viewed is that he needs to have worth and farmers don't just sit. Anyway he is 98 soon to 99 and it still bothers him that we bring a lawn chair for him when we go to a parade on main street. He offers to rake my yard or tried to get up on my roof to help me shingle.
It is all in one's frame of mind. When I retired from teaching, I couldn't slow down. My job required me to do double time work all the time never stopping. No move that I made as I lived my daily life was to be wasted. As I talked to kids about their projects and walked around the room, I was on continuous housekeeping duty. When I made any effort to do something I was always doing another thing along the way. So after I retired, I had a difficult time resting. I hit the yard and the garden on the run as I was free and time was limitless. On a July morning, I finally figured it out. I was looking over the front steps that I was going to remodel, I had taken measurements, and I sat down a minute to catch my breath. Our outside cat came around the house and joined me, and there I sat. It was a mild day with a gentle wind and it felt good to sit there in the shade of the house on the steps. I discovered if I would stay in one place, that I could see the insects busy at work. I could hear the neighbors dog barking. I watch a few cars go by in front of the house. I petted the cat and watched a garter snake slither across the sidewalk and I continued to just sit. People pray, and so do I, it is a good time to be quiet, and others meditate, but this time of just sitting and watching and listening was a revelation to me. I do need to slow down, take time, pause, relax, and observe the world that we are living in all around us. As a former farm boy who didn't want to seem lazy, and as a multi-task professional who had burned out, and as a projects oriented guy who can't waste time, I finally discovered that quality of life comes from not just doing, but being.
I like having the bench out there under the apple tree, waiting for spring. I like the way it looks with its invitation to come, sit, and rest. I like that as the next season comes that I am going to plant vegetables, but I am also going to sit out there and watch them grow. God does all the work in making them grow, but I sure need to take time to watch for awhile. Enough for now. Thanks for reading.