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sound advice, from someone who cares ... 
Newsletter
August 2007
I read a newspaper article the other day about the lost art of porch-sitting. I never really thought about porch-sitting as an art, but I can see how it could be thought of in that way. I did a little checking on-line and found out there is actually a Professional Porch Sitters Union founded in 1999 by Claude Stephens of Louisville, Kentucky. Their motto is "Sit down a spell. That can wait." Maybe they are on to something.
In 1987, my wife and I moved into the house we still live in, built in the 1950’s on a quiet street that used to be on the outskirts of town. By the time we moved into it, the house was located in the middle of town, as residential and commercial development had replaced the farm fields that previously were located to the east and south of our home. Our neighbors directly across the street have been living in their house since the early 1960’s and have witnessed all of these changes. And they have done a lot of this observing while sitting on their front porch.
Now retired, Rob and Diane have more time to spend on their porch than before, but even back when they were both working, they often could be seen sitting on their front porch during at least part of most summer evenings. For the last 40 plus years, they have witnessed a lot of things on our street and have had a front row seat as to the goings-on at our house. They have watched our family grow up, as well as the family that lived in our home before us. Through the years, they have met and made friends with all the neighbors and dogs that have strolled by and have seen and heard all the news of the neighborhood.
The coolest thing about Rob and Diane is that they are so good at porch-sitting. At first you may think, wait a minute, all we are talking about is sitting down in a chair. Anyone can do that! But porch-sitting is so much more than that. It involves the ability to converse, something that seems to have gone the way of eight-track tapes and milkmen. We are so distracted anymore with television, iPods, cell phones, computers, and other modern inconveniences, that we often ignore the people around us. Rob and Diane, however, would rather talk to the people around them, instead of calling and text-messaging the people who aren’t around them. This isn’t a conscious choice made by them. They just enjoy sitting out on their porch. The conversations and relationships that stem from them just sitting there aren’t planned or expected, they just happen.
One thing that makes Rob and Diane’s porch a welcome place to visit is the fact that the conversations always have a positive tone. The subject matter often is about family or the local news of the day. Sometimes it can be about other things, like work, politics or sports. The tone of the conversation is easy and no soapbox speeches or manifestos are made, at least none that I ever heard. If the topic involves one of the neighbors, you won’t hear a negative word about anyone coming from Rob and Diane. If they do make a comment about a neighbor, it is always something you know that person would want to have said about him or her. And if you ever need anything, all you have to do is ask, and Rob or Diane will try their best to help you.
One might unwittingly think that porch-sitters must be unmotivated or lazy to simply sit there and not "do anything." The truth is; porch-sitters are doing quite a bit! They are making some time for those people around them. And, at the same time, they are taking a much-needed physical and mental break from the hectic pace of life. Rob and Diane worked hard their whole lives. They raised two great kids and have always been very active people, pursuing many interests including camping, stain-glass painting, golf, coaching, church events and many other activities too numerous to mention. But one thing they always seemed to have was time for each other and for the people around them.
One of my favorite country artists is Tracy Lawrence. In 1994, he released a song called "If the World Had a Front Porch" that seems to sum up this whole idea of porch-sitting. The chorus went like this:
"If the world had a front porch, like we did back then
We'd still have our problems, but we'd all be friends
Treatin' your neighbor like he's your next of kin
Wouldn't be gone with the wind"
Wouldn’t it be nice………………….?