I see Ben around a bit. He lives down the road. He’s a great-grandfather and he’s lived in Bondi most of his life.
Ben makes me smile because he has a thing he does. Mid-mornings. after he’s taken his great-granddaughter to school, he comes out to the road and sits in his little car and reads in the sun.
He wear Superman nylon boxers and a tweed driving cap. And leaves the door ajar even though the street is a busy one. He reads mostly historical fiction and Sidney Sheldon. But 9 out of ten times I see him, he’s not reading, he’s snoozing.
So cute. Ben’s found his spot.
Which is a spot that isn’t meant to be ideal, but because of this, it becomes more than ideal.
There’s a bunch of old women in North Bondi who, every summer afternoon, sit out on flimsy beach furniture and share a beer in the tiny driveway outside their block of flats. They could walk 100m to the beach and have a view and a breeze. But the randomness of their spot works for them.
I was once doing this massive bike ride in the Blue Mountains outside Sydney. I suddenly had an urge to stop at this spot. It was just a spot on the track. Not picturesque. I sat my bike down and lay on the rocky ground, my head propped on a log. I didn’t bother to take off my helmet. And I fell asleep for ten glorious minutes, with ants crawling all over me and twigs sticking into my bum. Never have I met a sweeter, sunnier spot. It was because of the rocks, the log, the wrongness of it that made it sooooo good.
A spot can just be random. But it becomes a favourite because it works. The randomness of it. The wrongness of it. It makes it whimsical and special.
You found your spot?
Sarah, I couldn’t help but think of my cats when I read this: litter-mates, brother and sister, who live in the house with me (we have a purpose-built cat run so we can also invite & enjoy birds and possums and lizards to our garden).
Anyway: they cycle spots every week or so. Each will find a random place and that’s theirs. Sometimes there is a take-over if it’s a particularly great spot (and they have their own definition of what makes it great). Once they have moved on it will be a while before that spot gets used again. Of course, boxes, blankets and clean washing are favourites but sometimes they are a lot more random and can be at any height and in any room.
Many times I have witnessed the ‘making of the spot’. They wander into a room, look around, something catches their eye (I wonder: what is it over there?), they approach with purpose, do the 3 times circle thing and nest. And this becomes the place they will sleep all day, return to after meals and after games, and sometimes they will even give up the big bed for the night to sleep in their spot du jour (or semaine)
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What a classic – bless!
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Funnily enough, my ‘spot’ is my desk at work! I am lucky enough to have a huge window behind me and when I spin my chair, have a birdseye view of the Arts Centre, Yarra River, Botanical Gardens. Esp love it at night when I’m working late. The city lights are totally mesmerising and the quietness surronding me allows me to switch off for the odd 10 mins and just be.
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January 18th, 2011 at 9:38 am
That is lucky!
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LOVE the Superman boxers! So adorable.
This post reminded me of a movie I havent thought about since I was about 12. It’s called North, it’s about a kid who divorces his parents to search for new ones, but on the way he has a sacred spot. It’s just a couch in a furniture store, but it is where he does all his best thinking and is happy and at peace. To him, this place is special. I always found that super charming.
My spots tend to change. There is a corner of my boyfriend’s bed (why that corner?) which has a squashy plush soccer ball in it, and every time I curl up hugging that ball I can sleep through anything. Even his video game explosions, loud movies, shouting at his brother, laughing at tv. It’s the only place I have been able to afternoon nap without interruption, as I am usually a really light sleeper, but for some reason THIS SPOT seem to send me straight to dream land.
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January 18th, 2011 at 9:38 am
yes! kids so know the “spot” thing
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Great idea to find a spot but I find this photo of a man sitting in his car wearing nothing but boxers with door ajar pretty disturbing. If I noticed him day after day, I’d be calling the cops, no matter how old or innocent he appears. Does he drive his grand daughter around like this or strip off afterwards?? Sick stuff.
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January 15th, 2011 at 3:40 am
I don’t understand Levi… what is sick about it?
He is just reading in his car, and what needs to be covered is covered. Seems perfectly acceptable to me!
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January 18th, 2011 at 9:40 am
The guy is in his 80s…he’s happy…it should be encouraged.
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Great read … lovely sentiment !
Thanks Sarah
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A bench, any bench.
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January 18th, 2011 at 9:41 am
I’ve snoozed on many benches around the world. The more uncomfortable the better!
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[...] A wrong spot can be the perfect spot. So [...]
Shades of Carlos Castaneda – now there are some books I haven’t read for a while! Definitely know what you mean by this one. Moving house atm and most lacking in comfortable feelings of where my spot is. Lisa
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