somebody moved my bench
so i do this walk every morning now. three miles, same route, started back in october when dr. patel gave me the look about my cholesterol. and there’s this bench at the halfway point by the creek on bancroft where i stop and drink my water and just… sit there for a minute. it’s my favorite part honestly. not the walking. the sitting.
somebody moved it. or the city took it. i don’t know. it’s just gone. there’s like two little bolt holes in the concrete where it was and that’s it.
i know it’s not a big deal. ray would say deb it’s a bench. and yeah. it is a bench. but it was also the thing that made the walk feel like it had a middle, you know? now it’s just walking and then more walking and then you’re home and tyler’s eating cereal at 10am on a wednesday.
anyway if anyone works for the city of toledo and knows where benches go when they disappear i’m genuinely asking.
the bolt holes got me. like the bench left a ghost of itself. my grandma's church pew had the same thing after they renovated — just two scuff marks on the floor where she sat every sunday for forty years. nobody noticed but me.
deb i swear the city runs on removin the things people actually use and replacin them wi nothin. there was a wee bench outside ma old office and they took it tae put in a bike rack that naebody uses. the bench had a purpose. the bike rack has a concept. different things entirely.