This drop will be named the Bench Drop. In the official selections alone, there are three photos with prominent benches. Another can be found in the outtakes, including a swing to take a seat on.

My love for benches goes back, way back. My senior year at Baraga High School I pitched my teachers on doing an independent study to write. Each day I’d pick a different subject. The essay that has always stuck with me was the one titled “Benches.”

I’m a terrible hiker, because I’m on the mission to find a good seat, to slow down, to enjoy the view. I’ve long wanted to campaign for more benches, in town, in parks, in random locations. They offer a place of rest, and more importantly, reflection. A place to slow down and be with your being, wherever that is at that time. It’s hard to pass up a good bench, especially with a sunrise view.

Finally, a March release with some sunshine. Oh yeah, I also sat down last week determined to publish Leap Day. I’d have to continue into 2024 to catch another Leap Day sunrise.

A not entirely arbitrary score of this drop: 7.8/10

P.S. Not long after publishing this post, I was notified about an Instagram “memory”. Fittingly, it was one year ago today, of me, sitting on a bench. Notice the complete absence of snow.