Tuesday, March 17, 2009

Sharing Cake With My Other Self

I spoke to a man on a bench today.

I haven't really done this before, but the sun was out, the park was quietly busy and because there aren't enough benches I ended up having my little snack (chocolate cake and a smoothie) next to a man and his young son.

Let me rush to emphasise, this man was not a resident of the park, nor was he trying to sleep on the bench. He was just there to sit, like me.

As we chatted, I found myself feeling soothed and calm. The park seemed to become a restful place, full of peace and tranquility. Turns out he was a psychotherapist.

It reminded me of a wonderful Borges story in which an old man sits to rest on a bench and a younger man comes to sit next to him. After a while, the old man realises that it's his younger self.

Great story.

I think I should sit on benches more often. My only regret is that I didn't share my cake. I think I should have done.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

But was the man real or your psychosis presenting you with what you needed?

Greg John said...

sitting on benches is an excellent pastime. it's even better when the sun is shining. I strongly recommend you come to Tel Aviv and do it here.