The bench I chose to sit on is one in a series installed along a footpath at the edge of the beach. I'd never sat at one of the benches before because, frankly, the beach is just a stone's throw away and I'd rather sit there. As I sat, I turned to read the names of those commemorated in a plaque set into the backrest. I experienced an uneasy feeling of deja-vu for I knew the names. A dear, high school friend of mine and her husband had been killed in a car accident in the mid-1990s and it was they who were being commemorated. I sat taking in the view and thought of my high school friend until my toe felt better, then scooted off down the beach.
View from the bench---
Here are also some beach finds for your viewing pleasure--
Last summer in my old home town, I sat on a public bench and discovered it was a memorial to a girl I'd known 45 years ago in high school who had died recently as an adult. It is indeed a kind of eerie feeling.
ReplyDeleteI'm ashamed to admit that it took me a couple of minutes to figure out what Das Fragezeichen meant. D'oh!
Yeah, it's trippy.
DeleteThe 'question mark' shape isn't totally there, so I forgive you for not getting it straight away. ;)
I have prickles at the back of my neck thinking about inadvertently sitting on a bench which was a memorial to someone I had known.
ReplyDeleteLove your continuing finds.
How did your foot feel the next day?
It felt pretty good! Thank you for asking. :)
DeleteIt's interesting to read how we three here (maybe more?) have had the same experience with commemorative benches.
Commemorative benches make me think even if I don't know the person/people named. I look at the dates and think about what I was doing then, and then consider how much older or younger than me they were, and then wonder about what sort of lives they had. Because they tend to be relatively recent they seem easier to identify with than gravestones.
ReplyDeleteYeah, I sometimes do that as well. I also wonder who in the family might have put together the funds to commemorate lost family members.
DeleteRaw pebble wrapped in seaweed. I'm not sure my teeth are up to that these days.
ReplyDeleteSoften it up with a bit of soy sauce! :D
DeleteMust have been a bit freaky to realize you knew the names. Sad, too.
ReplyDeleteYeah, it was a bit freaky. I had temporarily forgotten her married name & her husband had gone by a nickname as well, so I was, like, wait a minute...is that...?
DeleteGood that your foot felt good the following day. Eerie that you were sitting on a bench commemorating your friends.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Susan. Yeah, it was eerie.
DeleteMy former husband has a commemorative bench at a local arboretum. The kids used to say, "Going to Holden to hop on pop."
ReplyDeleteHaha! Hop on Pop! Wasn't that a Dr. Suess book as well?
DeleteWow. A little eerie and sad to see that while you were resting. I just had a moment like that recently with a person I used to play softball and learned that they had passed away. Hope the new running regiment works out well and you are back at it sooner than later.
ReplyDeleteYes, it was a sad moment. And thanks for the well-wishes re: jogging.
DeleteThat must have felt very strange sitting on that bench. It looked like perfect weather for a run/walk, I'm glad your foot held up okay!
ReplyDeleteIt was strange, Joey. And, yes, the weather was ideal for getting out and moving the legs!
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