Every park bench is an untold story. The theme represented, here, is one of opportunity.  Unexpected things can happen when we are aware and open to our surroundings. Everything is possible when you’re sitting on a park bench on a sunny, Sunday afternoon. Just watch the world go by and see the magic that unfolds in front of you. It’s a way of being that is increasingly unfamiliar to us in our culture of perpetual business.

I immediately had a visual connection with the couple on this bench. I love the unique expression of their personalities and the quiet moment they are sharing. There is a sense of commonality and belonging here. Beautifully designed public spaces such as the Music Concourse in San Francisco help us feel a sense of ease and comfort.  These places are inclusive and welcoming in the common experience which they offer.  Beautiful, wide open spaces are so inspiring to me.

The park bench is also a place where we can meet and connect. It represents the intangible. It holds the promise of a chance encounter. Connection is what we all crave in a world that promotes isolation and the pursuit of individualism at all costs. This park bench allowed me to reach out to this couple. I’ll probably never see them again but I am so grateful that, together, we created this image. It was the gift of a very meaningful message about our relationship to everything around us.  I am certain that this will resonate with others as well.

So, next time you happen to walk past a park bench, take a moment to ponder. Maybe you’ll get a glimmer of something uplifting that will impact your life for the better.  Be open to that possibility. It is in this spirit that I dedicate this photograph to their friendship and the love it inspired in me.