Strategic Seating

Every Sunday, I sit at the same place—the last right pew by the aisle.  Have I staked my claim on the seat? Not formally. But because I go to church early, long before the morning worship begins, the vacant seat waits for me. To the young, it's an ignored space; to me, it's a choice spot. 

This seat is taken

I don’t remember exactly when I chose that seat. But I know why I did: 

It is close to one monitor where I can still clearly read the slides and watch the videos. 

It is beside one speaker, the better to hear the liturgist, the praise and worship team, and most importantly, the message.

It is farthest from the air-conditioning units, away from freezing the body that no longer has enough fat and muscle insulation to generate heat. 

It is closest to the entrance where I can easily slip out, without being noticed, as frequently as I need to go to the bathroom.

It requires no permission from a seatmate for space to walk to the altar to drop my tithes and offering.

For many, many years, I would sit in the first pew so I could focus and go deeper in worship from the musical prelude to Benediction.

Now that I am turning into a dinosaur, I sit in the last pew so I could focus and go deeper in worship from the musical prelude to Benediction.

The world calls this passage of time as the cycle of life. I call it the. . .