Hanging About.
I'm currently sitting on a park bench on the outskirts of Letchworth, killing time before my meditation class.
I'm here, rather than waiting at the school where the sessions take place, to prevent social awkwardness. It's damage limitation. I'd sooner slip in discreetly last minute than feel trapped in a situation where I have very little to say. It's not that the people who attend the classes aren't pleasant - they're the opposite, in fact - but I spend my life equidistant between one pratfall and the next, so if I'm out of sight, I'm less likely to create embarrassment.
Unfortunately my park bench 'cover' isn't perfect, as I'm in full view of the main road that leads to the school entrance, so most of the other students will probably have to drive past me on their way to the class. "There's that strange one who always walks in just before we start", they'll say. "I knew he was weird". Not that sitting on a park bench is particularly unusual - it's what they're for - but if anyone is able to make the ordinary look outlandish, it's me. At least I appear busy, as I'm writing this blog. Oh well, I'd better go, before I'm late. Here's hoping no-one brings my strange public-seat lurking up.