Vibrant Village ™

Rock yourself into community.

One of the pleasures of small town life is discovering the art of porch sitting. Not every small town home boasts a porch, but many do—especially in the warmer climates. In fact, warm climates created the need for The Great American Porch in the first place.

Before air-conditioning came into being, sultry summers demanded solutions. One of these solutions was the porch. When the stifling heat of the indoor rooms became unbearable, folks retreated to the shady covered porch. There, they would lower themselves into a favorite rocker and hope for a breeze. No breeze? Not a problem. It was easy enough to rock and create one.

Step outside, be social

And, after toiling indoors, the porch proved a great place to be social. Still does today. Porch-sitters can watch the passing parade of pedestrians, greet neighbors—and invite folks up onto their porch for a frosty glass of lemonade or sweet tea. In the evenings, perhaps something a bit more robust is found in a frosty pitcher.

Add rocking chairs, a porch swing, maybe an overhead or portable fan to blow away the mosquitoes and a true outdoor room is born.

In the best tradition of summer porch-sitting,  folks still bring out bowls heaped with ice-cream. These days, though, it's more likely to come from the grocery store than from a hand-turned ice-cream maker.  No matter. The cooling creaminess still tastes mighty fine during summer's heat. Especially when shared with friends.

Porches also serve as friendly open-air playrooms for kids. Here they can play outside and be in the shade, out of summer sun's glare.

Stormy weather from a front row seat

Watching a summer storm approach from the protection of the covered porch, then seeing the raindrops dance on the pavement, is a joy to experience over and over again. The hot ground smells sweetly renewed after a rainstorm. And the droopy flowers perk right up and stand straight once more.

It's wonderful to see the resurgence of interest in porches these days. After World War II, modern air conditioning made porches unnecessary for cool seekers. Garages began migrating from back alleys to the front of the house, and modern homes began to be built porch-less.

More's the pity.

With people driven indoors, sealed away from the passing scene, a bit of community died away, too. Now, once again, community seekers are seeking porches—and better yet, are sitting on them.

If you stroll around my little town of Beaufort, North Carolina during a warm summer day or night, you'll see porches in their full glory of social gatherings, book-reading, kids playing, and pitchers of cold beverages being served. Some of them sweet; some more robust.

Porches have personalities

Each porch has a distinct personality -- each reflects the taste and preferences of the home-dweller. Some are resplendent in ferns, some display art objects, and many have flowers cascading from imaginative planters. You'll surely be seeing rockers of every stripe—new and antique—formed from wood, wicker or metal.

Venerable porch swings sway and creak in the night air, and night-blooming jasmine scent drifts deliciously into the noses of porch sitters.

Stop a spell and answer the friendly waves from the porch sitters with a wave of your own. Remark upon the loveliness of the evening and who knows, you just might get invited to come up and sit a spell. Something cool and frosty may be offered to quench your thirst.

Porch sitting. It's an art, a pleasure, and a warm way to share community. Sure, air conditioning may make you cooler, but it's hard to smell the jasmine, hear the mockingbird sing or swap tales when you're sealed inside.

As someone once said, “The best kind of friend is the kind you can sit on a porch swing with, never say a word, then walk away feeling like it was the best conversation that you ever had.”

Porches are about people. Porches are about community.

Copyright © 2008 by Patricia Frank. All rights reserved.