Public Benches & Cafes

So, I didn’t make it to Soul Unplugged, damn it! I was sad to miss it but the universe intervened with about 8 different misdirections and signs saying, Nope! Tonight you gotta DEAL with yourself. 

After moving and helping Julia set up futons at her new place (everybody was July 1st in Montreal!...), I got to the bus stop and realized I had lost my bus pass in the move. I’m sure it’s somewhere… but the trip to Laval would’ve cost too much. At this point I need to stretch $3000 in savings for 9 months! I went back to Julia’s to look for it and then realized there was no way by that point I’d make it in time.

Julia and her romantic friend were having a date in her new apartment and Jessica was sleepy a couple blocks away. Both made it clear I was welcome to stay, but it hit me. Woah, I don’t have my own space to go to anymore!

So I found myself sitting on a public bench for the second time today, half way down a block, not quite sure where to go next.

Funny, two benches in one day, made me realize I don’t really sit on benches that often, I’m usually walking by with somewhere to get to, unless I’m waiting for a bus. But suddenly benches have a whole new atmosphere. Somewhere I can be, without paying, just because.

So it’s other peoples spaces, friends & family’s houses, couchsurfing, etc..

or public spaces, like the bench, where I decided to make a video – I’m really shy about it, done in one take and kind of tentative. But Frankie encouraged me to put it up anyways, as a sort of benchmark (punny!..) for future videos. See my first bench video!...oh my goodness I can't believe I'm sharing that... 

or semi private spaces, where there is an unwritten norm (or is it written somewhere?..) pay-to-stay, like the café where I’m writing this.

I wanted to give both of my friends space and also realized something new was hitting home and it was time to open the door and invite it in, so I took it to a café+ for hummus & crostini ($2096) and chai tea ($2094) and here we are. (Nice tense change sab. Thank you sugar, have some chai . Your very welcome darlingpie, and damn this jazz trio is blowing my mind. Mine too!)

Now I’m working on a little creative nonfiction piece about what it means to me to go on this sabbatical, which I will put up soon. In the meantime, Rosemary Rielly, an awesome prof in Applied Human Sciences at Concordia, just posted this video to me on FB, Todd Babiack on The Future of Sabbaticals. 

Love it.

I'm off to a silent retreat now, my first one ever!... 

~Sab

Resonance Café, Montreal