Thoughtful Places

"All of humanity's problems stem from man's inability to sit quietly in a room alone."

— Blaise Pascal

When our daughter was little she used to sit quietly in the backyard on a rock in the corner of the yard. Like Winnie-the-Pooh, it was her thoughtful place, a place where she could collect her thoughts, organize her dreams, and create her wishes. I have always liked quiet places – mountain tops, sedate gardens, the banks of rivers.

When we moved to the house, there was an old bench and an arbor on the property. Both were in need of repair. I tackled the arbor first. A lot of the wood was rotted. I brought it into the barn, pulled it apart in three sections, and replaced all the old wooden slats. A coat of paint, and it was good as new. I set it up near a concrete pad on the property that used to be the walkway to a trailer. We have silver lace growing on it now, and it is a pretty place to sit. I took a short walk outside last night and found myself sitting there. My wife stopped to sit there today after she took a walk. I am glad to see it get used.

The bench was a simpler fix. I got some 1 x 4s and ripped them down to ~ 3 inches wide. After reassembling the seat with new carriage bolts, it was just like new. It now sits by the creek. I love sitting there at nite and listening to the water babble by.