Sit, Relax, Take a Breather

On the corner of Chicon and MLK, a man and his dog were patiently waiting to cross the street. They had been on their morning jog for over an hour now and they only lacked about one more mile. Just before the light signaled walk, the 12:30 capital metro bus slipped through the yellow light coming the other direction, passing swiftly past the man and the dog. They then proceeded to cross the street directly behind the bus. When the man and his companion reached the other side, the man looked down to notice that his shoe was untied. They headed toward the empty green bench that stood a few feet away. Sitting down with the intention of only tying his laces, he was struck with the pleasant feeling of shade and rest. He decided to take a breather for a minute before preceeding with their jog.

The capital metro bus was right on time. The man looked at his watch as the bus pulled up to his stop located on Chicon, not too far from MLK. He now only had one more transfer but to catch before he would reach his final destination. The elderly man walked over to the bus schedule that resided directly next to the green bench; it wasn't scheduled to arrive until 45 mins. from then. Noticing how much time he had, he gathered it in his mind to get comfortable. The man then proceeded to sit down on the bench, and observe the activity going on around him. He was entertained to watch a man sitting down on a bench, similar to the one on which he rested, as what seemed as his companion dog running in circles around him, as a child encouraging his parent to get up and play with him. The elderly man waited patiently.

Noticing that his dog was getting restless, the man gathered up a little more strength to get up. He had allowed about 5 mins. to past, and both him and the dog figured that was more than enough rest. The man grabbed the dog leash, and they proceeded in the direction they were previously headed, east down MLK.

Coming out of the convient store on the corner of MLK and Chicon (across from the light tower), two teenage girls were walking and talking while drinking a bottle of water that they each had. As they crossed the street, one of the girls looked to the left to admire the beautiful golden retriever that jogged along side a man that were heading away from them down MLK. Because it was such a nice day outside, the girls decided to take advantage of the empty green bench that was in front of them. They checked their phones, verifying that they had about 30 mins. to spare, then continued to sit down. The girls giggled and talked as they sipped on their water.

Still awaiting the arrival of his bus, the elderly man still sat patiently. Almost discouraged that the man and his dog left, the man was pleased to find that two girls had sat down on that very bench the man was just on. He was enlightened by their youthful energy; their speedy and lively conversations along with their exaggerated expressions.

The girls had gotten so wrapped up in their conversation, that the time flew by. It was time to head back to their homes. Slightly disappointed, the two girls stood up, hugged and went their separate ways. One turned and proceeded to use the crosswalk to continue down Chicon. The other headed that same way as that of the man and his dog down MLK.

The elderly man only lacked a few more mins. before the arrival of his bus. He sat and thought about the two parties he had just observed. How they interacted with each other, and mainly how the green bench on which they utilized played a vital part in the way in which they operated. Also, the different uses the object served, and then noticing himself, how comfortable the bench was to sustain him all the while he observed his environment. He smiled as he got on his bus and sat down.