Red Chair Sitting There

Went for a bushwalk the other day just on the edge of the village, camera in hand to see what delights I could find. As I wandered looking for the first signs of native ground orchids, this sight greeted me along one track bringing me to a halt and making me smile. It prompted me to wonder how it found its way there, and who might have left it.

Was it just a piece of junk, dumped before its final destination, or did it hold a message as it stood in stark contrast to its surroundings. Was the person who carried it looking for a spot to sit a while, find some peace and quiet, reconnect with creation and be refreshed.  

The humble discarded kitchen chair could be regarded as cluttering the scene, but it beckoned…

“Sit down, take a spell

close your eyes a while

listen to the silence

see if you don’t smile.”

A rock or stump would have sufficed, but if the chair hadn’t been there, I wouldn’t have stopped to wonder at this incongruous addition to the scenery. I would have kept going, enjoying the walk, but stopping for a while helped me take time to use my senses more keenly. Listening, touching, even if it did mean a leech wanted to have a go at me, smelling, looking closer, seeing both the beauty of the bush as a whole, as well as observing the intricate details of moss and lichen, bark and ferns, rocks and fungi.

Tuning into the spirit of the place, letting the bush pass through me, instead of me simply passing through the bush.

Red chair sitting there

By the bush track

Says loud and clear

Come sit a while

Before you head on back.