On the Front Porch

I grew up sitting on the front porch of our house during the long summer evenings. My parents would head out just after the dinner dishes were done, and we would enjoy the cool breezes and whatever excitement happening in the neighborhood. My grandma also lived with us, and she would claim her spot in the redwood rocking chair, while mom and dad shared the double-seater. They would sit for hours watching cars go by while I played hide and seek with the neighborhood kids.  We had a long porch across the front of the house that was enclosed with a brick flower box my brother had built. The petunias that mom planted each year really set off the porch. That and Dad's rose garden (not to mention the immaculate, golf course quality, and kid-free lawn) made our house noticeable to all who went past.


I read a blog post recently asking how to get connected with your neighbors, and to me it's obvious. Get outside, and make yourself available for neighbors to approach you. We sit on our porch nearly every afternoon; it's where I am when my husband gets home from work, it's where he fills me in on his work day, and it's where we discuss our life. We make decisions and plan vacations on our porch. The only distractions are the passing cars, and no t.v. makes for better attention to each other. Last summer we hung a tire swing from the great maple tree in our yard and it serves as entertainment (and exercise, but don't tell her!) for Erica.

Our neighbors know that they are always welcome to come over and sit awhile. We wave at the neighbors who drive by, to give a quick hello. It reminds me of the Andy Griffith Show, people stopping by to pass the time, building friendships and just keeping in touch. Mark jokes that I'm Mrs. Kravitz from Bewitched, but there is good in being tuned in to your neighborhood. In a time when eyes are focused on the glow of an iPad and technology instead of taking in the real world, we need the interruption of a few moments on the porch and the people who live around us.

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