1. I visited Stanley Park and chose a bench around the sea walk. I chose a bench that had a very nice view of many things. I love going for walks around the sea walk and I like to sit down and just watch the ocean and the mountains in the background. I like sitting on a bench that has a nice view of the nature. My bench was beside a large oak tree so there wasn’t much snow around. It wasn’t beside the sidewalk but in the middle of a grass field. The grass was quite wet because of the melting snow. The bench looked old and rough. It was made entirely of wood, which gave it a warm and comfy appearance. When I sat down, I realized that the bench wasn’t as rough as it seemed but it was very smooth. There were some cracks in it that were filled with dust and needles from other trees. The bench was a little cold as a sat on it but it got warm after a while. It started snowing and I was glad I chose a bench that was covered by the large oak tree.
2. The view from the bench was very nice. I could see the park, the ocean and the mountains in the very back. The park was mostly covered in snow but some bits have melted, showing the green grass underneath. The trees looked dry and they were gradually being more covered in light snow. The waves of the ocean were making pleasant sounds as they were hitting the shore and moving back into the ocean. The water was clear and blue and looked much cleaner than in the summer. I could see the lions gate bridge and the cars that were passing by. The clear ocean faded in with the view of the mountains and created a very beautiful image. There was no snowline visible because the whole city was covered in snow. The mountains looked very clean and larger that before. The sky was cloudy and blue sky was visible only for a while when the clouds split.
As I was watching the ocean and the mountains, I felt very relaxed and happy. I was listening to the sound of the waves and I found it very calming. Every time a wave hit the shore, I would feel like there was no one else around me and it was just me. The waves looked so smooth and peaceful. The mountains gave me a sense of coldness and strength but at the same time, they looked clean and beautiful. I got a little scared when I looked at the city opposite of me and realized that I will soon have to return that world. I felt like I was in a completely different world without decisions and complications. I couldn’t explain the feeling towards the city but it was not a positive feeling. I didn’t feel too happy about myself and what was happening with me, but I felt happy at the place where I was. I was happy and relaxed.
I looked at the ocean and though of how it contrasted with the bridge and all the busy people trying to get somewhere, and I though of how lucky I was. I thought of the people that are in their cars, stressed out because they are late for an important appointment or because they forgot to do something they were supposed to. I felt lucky because I could be completely relaxed and feel happy. I thought of my day and I realized that I wouldn’t want to be in a different place. I was happy just were I was and didn’t want to think of my busy life. I also thought of myself and if I was making the right choices in life but I never came to a conclusion. I couldn’t say whether m choices were right because I couldn’t see the outcome yet. It made me a little scared to think of my future. I was wandering what life would be like if I made certain decisions differently and if I would be happier.
As I was sitting under that large tree, I realized that I didn’t want to get up and leave that cozy little spot on that bench. I wanted to stay where I was forever. The place made me think of so many things and it made me forget about my stressful life. I realized that I didn’t like where my life was going but I didn’t have the strength to change it. When I sat on the bench and looked into the clear water and the white mountains, I was able to forget about everything that was making me unhappy. The place where I was made me feel happy and that’s why I didn’t want to leave. I saw a couple of tiny birds fly by the sidewalk and I wanted to be like them. They looked to be so free, having nothing to worry about. They could just spend every day exploring new and beautiful places and just let themselves be carried by the breeze in the cool air. For a moment I wanted to fly up into the sky and become a bird. I wanted to go to different places and just see the whole world.
3. If a bench was dedicated to me, I would want it to be in a place that I love. I would want the bench to be located in a place where not many people go. I would want it to be in a beautiful green grassland away from the stress of the city and close to the quiet nature. I would like the bench to be surrounded by hundreds of wild flowers that have no pattern and just grow wherever they want. The flowers would make butterflies come and fly around with other birds. I wouldn’t mind if there wasn’t a view from the bench because the nature itself would be amazingly beautiful with many things to observe. I would like the bench to be far away from the city but easy to get to. I wouldn’t want to have anything special written on the inscription. Something simple like “In memory of a loving person” would be good enough. The inscription wouldn’t be that important. The most important, for me, would be who dedicated the bench to me and why. It doesn’t have to be written on the bench because feeling can’t always be put into words.
4. If I dedicated a bench it would have to be for someone special. I would like the bench to be in one of the favorite spots of that particular person. It would definitely be a beautiful spot with a nice view. I would like the bench to be located in a large park and in a place that stays beautiful all year round. A place that is located close to the beach with large trees around would be perfect. I would like the bench to be further away from where most people visit the park, in a quiet and relaxing spot. I would want the place to be quiet so you can focus on all the beautiful things of nature. You can listen to the waves crashing onto the shore and the sound of the birds as they fly by. The spot where I would dedicate a bench would be a place for everyone to go to, in memory of someone and to be able to think about them. I believe that it is not that important to decide what the inscription on the bench will say. If it was a bench for someone special, the inscription would say something similar like “in memory of someone special” or “you will always be in my heart” with their name written at the end. I think that the most important part about the bench is taking the time to place a bench in memory of someone special to you.
5. On a cool January day I decided to do something different. I knew that I had too much work to do for school but I wasn’t able to concentrate. I didn’t want to waste my time but I decided to leave the house and just go to a place where I haven been in a long time. The weather wasn’t that nice but I thought it would be nice to go for a walk in a park. I thought of different parks around Vancouver but Stanley Park was my favorite. I could hardly believe that I’ve been making excuses for myself saying that I was too busy and didn’t have the time to do anything for good myself. It was quite chilly and the roads were a little covered in snow. The grass fields were muddy as the snow was melting in some spots. I never go outside on days like this but today was different. I needed to get some fresh air and have some time to think. I don’t remember how the bus ride but I remember getting off and seeing the park. When I got off, and the bus left its tracks on the snowy road, I could feel the cool breeze of fresh air coming from the sea. I walked over the sidewalk onto the wet grass. I kept on walking not knowing where and without having a destination. I was a little cold but none of that mattered. I was just happy where I was. I don’t know why I felt so different but for the first time since September, I felt relaxed. I watched the trees and the small leaves that would move with the direction of the breeze as if they wanted to fly somewhere. I remember a crowd of small birds flying by and making different sounds. Two of the birds sat on the top of a chestnut tree and they stayed there for a white. They were both very tiny and beautiful. As the wind blew stronger and shook the tree, the birds flew off and joined the rest of their crew. That day, I thought of my life and my past. I felt like a fool for wasting so many days of my life that could have been just as beautiful as this one. I didn’t want to go back and seeing the city made me feel uncomfortable. I wanted to stay where I did not have to think about my past and my mistakes and not having to plan the future. I wanted to live a life with no worries.
6. The poem “This is About Life” suits my bench perfectly. The bench I picked made me feel and think different. It made me feel more like myself and less like someone I didn’t even know. This poem is perfect for my bench because it explains everything I thought about while I sat in the park, watching the waves and the mountains I front of me. When I was sitting there, I thought at my past and my future. I thought about life in general and it scared me a little. I thought about the “moments that take [my] breath away”. The bench seemed quite useless but in the end it has a big purpose because it makes people think of their own lives. This poem also talks about love and living life to be happy. The day that I spent in the park and sat on the bench, made me feel happy. It made me feel like I was doing something useful for myself and that I wasn’t just wasting another day. I felt exited and I didn’t want to leave because I knew that the minute I do that, my happiness would go away.
This is About Life
Live laugh and love...
Sometimes we need to stop analyzing the past
Stop planning the future stop trying to figure
Out the precisely how we feel stop deciding with our mind
What we want our heart to feel sometime we just have to
Go with whatever happens happens...
Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take
But by the number of moments that take our breath away
What if you gave someone a gift
and they neglected to thank you for it would you be likely to give them another?
Life is the same way in order to attract more of the blessings that life has to offer
you must truly appreciate what you already have
life isn't about waiting for the storm to pass
it's about getting out there and dancing in the rain
Do what makes you happy be with who makes you smile
laugh as much as you breathe love as long as you live
7. The poem “This is About Life” connects to my personal philosophy of life as well. I believe that life is to be lived. We cant keep looking back at what we should have done and what we’ve done wrong. We have to stop punishing ourselves for what we didn’t do right. Life cannot be planned and to me, planning the future is a waste of time. I believe that everyone should live in the present, not in the past or the future. The past or the future doesn’t make anyone happy in the present. It doesn’t make anyone laugh. Life should be full of memories, “moments that take our breath away”, and good and bad decisions that we later call experience. “You must truly appreciate what you already have” or you will never be able to “attract more blessings”. I believe that we need to be happy and able to live every moment of our life to the fullest. If we keep on waiting “for the storm to pass” we are only wasting time. We need to get out there and live every moment of that storm. I believe that life is all about living every moment with someone you love. It is about loving and being loved.
Bench
I sit down and feel the coldness of the old wood
The bench is old but cozy and soon I am warm.
I look up and see the waves crashing on the shore
Each wave makes a different sound that makes me think.
I begin to think of my life
I remember how I’ve wasted so many valuable moments.
I remember of my bad decisions, my mistakes, my failures…
But another wave reminds me that is it only the past.
I feel like I live for the future being impacted by the past
I feel incapable of living I the present.
I look at the wave approaching the shore and
I am jealous of her freedom.
I want to free myself from my mind
But I keep wandering “what if…”
I start to feel happy as I look at the shore, the waves, the pebbles…
And I feel like a fool for wasting so many moments
That I could have enjoyed just as much as this.
8. The purpose of a park is to relax every ones mind. A park should always be a happy place where people can forget about their troubles and where they don’t have to worry. A park should be a peaceful place that can make everyone feel happy. A park always changes. It changes with the weather and the seasons but it doesn’t change with the mood of peoples minds. It’s always calm and beautiful. A walk in a park can make someone happy even on a cold and rainy day. People go to parks for different reasons. Some go for family picnics, Sunday walks is to have a good talk with a friend but all of these have something in common. The purpose is always the same and that is to get away from the rush of the city and the worries of your own mind. The city has its benefits but everyone soon gets tired of it and needs a place where the rush and the sound of the city is gone. When I think of a park I always think of something beautiful. I think of people that have come to relax their minds and families with children that have come to play. When I think of a park I think of laughter, smiling children, deep conversations and bicycles. Parks are always filled with happiness and I always think of them as a place where you can make your mood better.
