Assumptions

The weather is finally nice enough that I can resume my lunch-time walks.  A few days ago, I headed out to one of my favorite spots for enjoying a bite outdoors - it's just a scattering of a few tables and benches next to some open green space near the U of M Alumni building.  I have a couple of benches in particular that I prefer over the other seating options.  All the furniture is bolted to concrete and many of the benches are positioned such that you are forced to face a nearby table.  I'd rather not sit at one of them and have people feel like I'm watching them.  And I'm sure not going to sit at a table and have the bench people staring at me.  There are a couple of benches that, although near the tables, actually face out toward the grassy field.  I prefer these.

I didn't bring a lunch to work that day so I stopped by Chipotle to get a burrito to go.  I know lots of people who love Chipotle and I keep thinking I should enjoy their food more.  I like it okay, but I can think of three or four other places whose burritos I prefer.  Anyway, I chose Chipotle solely because it was conveniently located along my route.  Enough about the burrito, already.

As I approached the tables and benches, I noticed that both of my favorite benches were available.  There were tons of people out, but most of them were looking to commune a bit more closely with nature - they were sitting or lying on the grass in the sun.  I'm not so much a sit on the grass kind of guy.  It's not that I don't like sitting on the grass - well, actually, that's part of it but not the main reason.  My problem with just going out and sitting somewhere in a grassy field is that I don't know how to decide where to sit.  I need some order, some direction.  Throw me out in an open field and I'll be forever wondering if here is better than there or vice-versa.  I'll watch every person that comes and sits and I'll wonder why they chose the spot they did and if I should have chosen it.  I applaud all the free spirits that have conquered the field.  You would survive longer in the wild than I would - even if we were both able to find food, you'd be finished eating while I was still wandering around looking for a nice chair to sit on while I ate.

One of my favorite benches is situated near a table.  The table is kind of beside and behind the bench.  As I crossed the grassy field and approached the benches, I noticed that there was a group gathered at the table.  They appeared to be a bunch of young adults, most wearing hooded sweatshirts and baggy jeans.  It sounded like they were having an argument - even from a distance I could occasionally hear raised voices.  Many of them seemed agitated and there was a lot of gesturing at various buildings and passing cars.  Instinctively, I raised my internal alert status to red.  I had a few options.  I hadn't yet reached the benches.  I could just continue walking and find some other place to eat.  I could choose my other favorite bench that wasn't so near the table.  Or, I could choose the bench next to the table.

I don't know if I didn't want give in to my prejudged assumptions about the group or that I didn't want to let their behavior dictate where I ate lunch.  Whatever the reason, I chose the bench next to the table.  I sat down, took out my burrito and tried to focus on the sunny green grass and the people going to and fro.  As I sat there, it was hard not to hear the conversation next to me.  It wasn't so much an argument as a passionate debate - about renewable energy.  The gesturing was mostly related to pointing out hybrid cars or wondering if geothermal could be used to heat a particular building.  I finished my burrito and started the walk back to work, happy with my choice of lunch spots.