I am seven days post-surgery. The meniscus in my right knee tore loose from the bone and was (hopefully) repaired, leaving me in a brace from ankle to mid-thigh. For four weeks no weight-bearing on my right leg. For two weeks, no bending of the leg. So, I spend my days sitting, sitting, sitting, with breaks for lying down. This is tortuous for me - a runner, gardener, hiker, climber-of-stairs, photographer-who-pokes-around-in-odd-places, woman-who-values-her-independence. So, today I was drawn to this panoramic pinhole photograph I took below my house one August day, titled The Empty Chair.

That day I wasn’t tethered to a chair, I wandered freely through the foothills with cameras and tripod, photographing what caught my eye. This white chair sits at the corner of our property and did catch my eye. What does it signify? Territoriality? Loneliness? Loss? Watchfulness? For me, today, it represents my yearning to be able to walk freely again, to be done with forced inactivity, daily injections to prevent blood clots, physical therapy, crutches, and dependence on others to carry my plate and glass to the table.