The Chair Nobody Takes

There is a chair beside the coffee urn that nobody takes. It is not reserved. It is simply where people set a coat, or a paper bag, or their hands when they need to stand still.

Last week, someone moved it against the wall. We noticed because an older man who comes to the pantry looked for it before he looked for food. He did not say anything. He put his bag down and stayed by the door.

I do not know what the chair meant to him. A place to rest, perhaps. A place that stayed put when other things did not. We are quick to ask whether a need is reasonable before we answer it. That can be useful for budgets. It is poor practice for a neighbor.

The chair cost us nothing. Moving it cost someone a small piece of welcome. So we put it back. Not because chairs have rights, as far as I know. Because a person had made use of it, and that was reason enough.

Goodness does not need a grand occasion. Sometimes it is noticing where someone had been able to breathe.