What’s the antidote to the pace and pressure of modern day life? The doctor knows. He’s Dr. John J. Buchino, and his prescription is — porching. “Porchare humanum est” or Latin for to porch is human. And it is one of this Resort Girl’s personal favorite pastimes.
As I write with my pen in hand and my notepad on my lap, all around me the birds play, the lizards glance my way as they pass by, the palm tree leaves chime in the breeze, a rooster is actually crowing, and the neighbors’ laughter and voices occasionally punctuate the natural soundtrack. My neighbors and I all hang out on our porches – during the day and at night. My townie is on a quiet, sunny street in our plantation – which makes it a perfect porching place.
Many nights, we all just gather on someone’s porch for a quick conversation, to let the dogs socialize or have a quick cook out. Last month, I lit up the small fire pit on my porch and, by the end of the night, had 12 folks closely gathered around it. Some of them were even sitting on the ground as we watched the flames and shared stories while the stars sparkled above us.
This scene, however, is a just a passing dream in many places. It is a relic of the past, mostly due to of busy families and unfortunate criminal activities. Porching made me wonder, could this not be one of the best neighborhood watches? Watching out for each other, neighborhoods bonding in a positive manner, being one with nature and slowing down the pace.
And Dr. John had this same insight. He wrote a humorous look at porching as an American pastime. According to this Butler Book review of his “Porching” book:
“In this light-hearted look at what must be the most prevalent activity in America, Dr. John extols the virtues of the porching life, from its physiological and psychological benefits to its role in child-rearing, community relations, crime prevention and economic development. With tongue firmly in cheek, he gives us porching songs, famous porchers in history and famous porching quotations. It’s enough to make you get up, go outside, and fall fast asleep on the porch.”
As the doctor ordered, you only have so many heartbeats, so slow down, save a few and enjoy the view!
What a nice way for Resort Girls to slow down the pace with friends, family and other RGs…Porching!
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