Sitting on a Story

Sitting on a Story

           1. Reflection upon my bench

The bench I chose is located in Grad Boulevard Park and the inscription says “In loving memory Dr. Harvey and Mary Armitage.” This bench was dedicated to two people that I assumed passed away and both loved this place. It is an old, rusty bench which means it’s been there for many years. I chose this bench because it was isolated from the rest of the park, looking towards the soccer field and it caught my attention right away.  I found it, in a way, quite fascinating how this bench was not where all the others were but completely apart. The only thing I could think of was that maybe they were kind of solitary people who didn’t spend much time surrounded by big groups of people. This bench was not placed somewhere with an amazing view or where everyone can see it. It is kind of hidden between the bushes and if we don’t pay close attention to where we are going we will most likely miss it.

 2. Description of Bench

From this bench I can see the soccer field at Grand Boulevard Park and all the places for little kids to play and have fun. To the other side all you can see is the houses on the boulevard. On pretty, sunny days you might be able to see all the downtown towers and buildings. Another thing you can admire on days when the weather is clear is the mountains, and if it has snowed it is a beautiful thing to look at. Knowing that this bench was dedicated to two people who have most likely passed away, gives the solitary bench a sad and lonely kind of mood. It made me think of all those people I know or have known that passed away recently and made me more grateful for having found this particular bench. Even though the story behind this bench is unknown to me, being there for a period of time makes whoever sits there and takes the times to read the inscription plate, want to try to find out the story behind it and who were these two people. It made me want to be able to bring them back for a while and talk to them and figure out why this bench was located there for them and if this place meant anything special to them.

3. A Bench for Me

If a bench were dedicated to me I would like it to be somewhere around Stanley Park. Even though I don’t visit Stanley Park very often I think it’s a beautiful park with many different things to do. It is a place that many people also like and somewhere pretty not too far away from North Vancouver. Having a bench in Stanley Park dedicated to me would be something that will help people remember that I am always close to them. When someone passes away neither burying them nor cremating will help you remember them but a bench dedicated to them is a way to keep them close to home in some way.  The idea of a bench will allow my friends and family to both go out and do something different outside of the crowds in the city and have me closer to them. If this bench was to be put in Stanley Park, I would like it to say something like “If you ever feel that you miss me, look in your heart. I will always be there.”

             4. Dedicating a Bench

          If I were to dedicate a bench to anyone it would most likely be my parents. I would put in a place like Ambleside near the beach. The reason I chose this place is, my parents were both born and grew up in Puerto Rico where it is always sunny and there are beaches almost everywhere you go. Ambleside is a place they have both loved and enjoyed since they first came to Vancouver so it would mean a lot to them to have a bench there dedicated to them. I know my siblings will love to be a part of this since they done so much for them too, so the inscription plate would say all of our names.  The inscription plate would say “For all you’ve ever done for us and for being the amazing people that you are, THANK YOU! Love you, Nora, Monica and Juan.” This bench will in some way give back to them for all the things they have done for us throughout our lives and for always supporting us whether they think we’ve made the right decisions or not. This is something that will remain there for years and that we will always have, to reminds us every time we see it of how much they love us and how much they have done and will do for our well-being.

          5. Journal Response

          Going to the park to find a bench was quite a different experience. It is something I had never done and most likely never would’ve thought of doing. I found this bench while my parents were driving by Grand Boulevard Park. While driving down that street I saw this lonely dedicated bench that immediately caught my eye. What was so interesting about this bench was the location and also the fact that it was completely separated from the rest of the park. When I saw the bench I told my parents to stop the car so I could do my bench report about what it said and what I could see and feel and think. They left me there and came back to pick me up when I was done. Being that the bench was dedicated to two people that I believe passed away, made this experience more personal and more serious. It was an amazing experience that made me reflect upon many things and remember those people that have passed away and often forget about. This visit to the park and most importantly the bench, made me realize what an amazing thing is to dedicate someone a bench because no matter what happens the bench will be there and, in a way, the people we dedicate it to will always be there as well. While I was at the park it felt  like everything quiet down, making the entire experience more fantastical and more personal for me. When I first thought of doing this project, I knew it’d be something different but not nearly as special as it was. Overall, I am very grateful for this opportunity because it was truly something new and amazing.

           6. Choosing a Poem

The poem I chose that suits by bench is called “A View from the Park Bench” and it was written by Andrew Blakemore. This poem talks about what he sees around him when he’s sitting on the park bench and many of the things he describes are similar to what I could see from the bench I chose. The poem talks about how he looks at the sky above and the chestnut trees and also about how snow is near. Sitting on this bench I could see the snow on mountain tops and a few days later it did snow where the bench is. Also it talks about the bench being old and worn which mine really is, and how close to his bench there is a park where kids can play just like Grand Boulevard Park. When I read this poem the first time, I could see the resemblance to the bench I chose in so many different ways that I decided this was the poem that best suited my bench. 

A View form the Park Bench

Upon this old familiar bench
From which I've spent a time or two,
Just gazing at the sky above
And watching chestnut trees,
Which change throughout the seasons
Now their copper leaves do fall,
Which gather on this stony path
And tossed upon the breeze.

For scattered far across the field
And through the air with random flee,
From every bough it seems to pluck
Until each one is bare,
Now soon the winter shall be here
With icy chills the frosts and snow,
When I'll not stop but carry on
And find no comfort there.

Upon this bench so old and worn
That's scrawled and etched on every slat,
And smeared with food from yesterday
Yet still to me so kind,
For here within my solitude
Away from all the toil and spite,
I'll take my time to look around
While others seem so blind.

Within this park the children play
Upon the swings the slide and frame,
And run around upon the grass
Just like I used to do,
But now so many years have passed
And older but no wiser I,
And wish I had my youth again
Reliving days I knew.

Upon this bench I sit and wait
And as the people pass me by,
Some of them do speak to me
Some look the other way,
Yet here the grass shall always grow
Beneath my tired and aching feet,
A friendly place I call my own
Where often I do stay.

I long for daffodils of spring
To watch them all come into flower,
When blossom blooms upon the bough
Such beauty there to see,
Then listen to the birds that sing
As if for me their sweet refrains,
And I alone shall hear them all
Each golden melody.

Upon this bench on which I rest
I think how many things have changed,
Yet here it almost seems the same
As times of long ago,
St. Mary's there still proudly stands
And in the morning sun does shine,
As ages passed it's witnessed all
And seen the village grow.

Now as I make my way back home
And walk along this stony path,
Adorned by scattered copper leaves
That through the autumn fell,
I know I shall return again
To lose myself within the view,
And watch the seasons changing
From the bench where I shall dwell.
BY: ANDREW BLAKEMORE

                 7. Personal Philosophy
                  My personal philosophy of life agrees very much with the Carpe Diem Philosophy. I believe that we need to make the most of life and live every day as if it were our last. No matter how hard things can get, at some point down the line everything will most likely pay off. Also, I believe that we need to stay positive no matter what happens and to try to make the best of every situation. The poem “A View form the Park Bench” by Andrew Blakemore, in some small way show this. The speaker talks about how he loved his childhood but the years have gone by and he wishes he could go back to when he was a child. Although this man is unhappy about not being able to relive his childhood he makes the best of it by going to this bench where he used to play as a child and remember all the things he did. Another thing I believe in is being true to ourselves and realizing that we are not perfect at all. The speaker in this poem talks about how he has gotten “older but no wiser” which shows how he likes who he is even though, like everyone else, he has faults.

        8. Purpose of a Park
         Parks are recreational areas where we can all come together as a community and share with one another. It is a place where there are no conflicts and where everyone can leave behind their problems and relax for a while. Parks are the place where age does not matter, where we all act like children and nobody worries about anything else but the present. The good thing about parks is that we can always feel that happy, family friendly atmosphere that invites everyone to join in. Our definitions and purposes of a park change drastically over the years. When we are little kids we see parks as a place full of other kids and many things to do; it is simply a fun place to be. However, growing up we start changing our minds and the way we look at it. Once we reach adulthood, we start looking at parks as a more relaxing place to just walk around, have some quiet time and forget everything that might be giving us a hard time. There is one thing, however, that does not change throughout the years and that is the fact that we still love parks because of its family friendly atmosphere and the many memories we have created from parks

              9. Writing a Poem

This Bench

By: Monica Rivera

This bench so old so bare

At which people don’t bother to stare

So full of memories

That no one shares.

Lonely and quiet

Surrounded by trees,

This old and bare bench

Has made an impression on me.

I know I’ll be back

I’ll sit in this park,

To enjoy its surroundings

                                                And gather my thoughts!