I remember sitting on my porch in Texas watching the fireflies
light up.  My friends and I would play games catching the fireflies
and putting them in a bottle. The person with the most fireflies
won the game. Summer nights were always special times. My friends and I could stay outside light at night running and jumping on the porch swings at the neighbors house.

I can still see my grandmother sitting on her porch. My grandmother
lived next door to us. She would call to me from her porch so I could
come over and get a treat. I had several porches in my childhood
because the neighbors would gather on someone’s porch and drink
lemonade and eat cookies. Everyone’s porch was available for an
impromptu get together.

Our porch was nothing elaborate just concrete steps that lead to a
wider expanse of concrete. The porch was wide enough so that the
family could gather outside when the weather permitted and enjoy
conversations, tell jokes and find out all the latest gossip.

Mr. Henderson and his wife lived across the street. I can still
see him rocking in his rocking chair watching the neighborhood.
We considered “The Henderson’s the noisy neighbors because they
knew everybody’s business. They would tell stories to the parents
about the antics of the children. Mrs. Henderson took her seat on
the porch in the morning and made quilts with some of the older
neighbors.

When I was transferred to California, there were no porches. In
fact my friends had never experienced the camaraderie of porch
sitting. They did not know that a valuable learning experience
had somehow escaped them because they never knew the joy of porch
sitting.

Porches are making a revival all over the country. Some homeowners
are searching for that connection to their childhoods. Some
homeowners who never had a porch in childhood see the addition of
a porch as an inexpensive addition to their living space.

A porch can offer a place to eat, a quiet place to read, relax
and experience nature. Porches are used to get acquainted with
nature. Sitting outside can provide the opportunity to chat with
neighbors and get to know them. These inexpensive additions can
provide a valuable tool for building and uniting a community unit.
The porch in its simplest terms can help the neighborhood become an
extended family.

Neighbors passing by feel free to say “hello”. They just might be
invited to the porch to share a glass of water. Americans are
emerging from a cocoon weaved from their need for privacy. Americans
are stepping out from their air conditioned homes and are moving
outside on the porch to meet their neighbors and enjoy nature.

About the Author

Tim Gorman