The Front Porch

When I was around 8 or 9 years old, I remember visiting my grandparents in Missouri and wondering why they spent so much time sitting out behind their house under a big oak tree, talking, reading, or just staring off in the distance. Didn’t they know there was a lot of exploring to do on their 30 acres of woods?

Years later, after a stint in the Air Force, I arrived home only to find my parents sitting in lawn chairs in front of the opened garage door. They were just talking and killing the time. Didn’t they know there was a festival downtown or a big football game at the high school?

Then a few years ago, I realized that just sitting on your deck, under a tree, or out in front of your garage while doing nothing … was quite enjoyable. It feels therapeutic to me to plant myself outside, relish the breeze, and recall exploring my grandparents’ woods, going to festivals or high school football games, and even closing my eyes and hearing my parents and grandparents talking and laughing about their days of youth. Today, when I head for the rocking chair on our front porch, I’ll take a magazine with me, so the neighbors walking by will think that I am being productive.