America's Front Porch
Volume 6 Issue 1 Spring-Summer 2019
By Wesley R. Turner
FlagandBanner.com Customer
America’s front porch is a congregating space for everybody to stop, sit, talk and watch the flow of humanity.
itting off to the side of an east/west ribbon of asphalt, just past some dandelions and a patch of gravel, is America's front porch. Which road? How about Route 66 or the Lincoln Highway (Route 40), as it stretches thousands of miles across the waistband of the land of liberty. A byway, in a 1954 time warp, before the spider web of freeways crisscrossed the open lands of this country. That will suffice.
Wooden, with a sturdy railing for putting up your feet, this porch, America’s front porch, is a gathering place. It’s a spot to sit down in a creaky wooden rocker and listen to the floor boards groan as you put down a steady rhythm of rockin’. Whether it’s raining buckets or you need some shade from the white-hot middle-America sun, you can slow down your life’s pace and collect your thoughts. Doesn’t matter which state your rural route is in, (I’ve seen them in Ohio and I’ve seen them in Oklahoma) America’s front porch is a congregating space for everybody to stop, sit, talk and watch the flow of humanity. An open-air town hall to exchange ideas and comment on the dad-burned gov’ment, the neighbors over the fence, and the behavior of their kids. If you are lucky, this porch is attached to Grandma’s house, where cold lemonade and fresh chocolate-chip cookies are never-ending. But more than likely it’s a small-town eatery, filling station or road-side dive. The prospects of a cold bottle of Nehi Grape and a hot, juicy burger make the rest stop even more appealing.
Why slow down (besides the obvious perks mentioned in the above paragraph)? Well, to detach yourself from 21st century technology for a while, that’s why. To communicate person-to-person with another human being. No cell phones involved. No apps or games or i-tunes. Just talking.
So many of us go through life carrying our memories in a closed right hand. We hang on to them for posterity. When we open our hand to shake another person’s hand, all those life experiences escape. That is the flash point of friendship. The experience of meeting someone you don’t know and could get acquainted with, if given half a chance, is priceless. It’s a present. Like having Christmas every day.
If you’re an old guy like me, your side of the conversation could go something like this: “Hi, just passing thru? Where are you headed? Nice place…I was there just a couple years ago. That your family over there? Good looking kids. Yeah…just stopped to get a cold one (holding up the Nehi Grape). On vacation? Me? No…I’m retired. Just heading over to (name the town) to visit my grandkids. That your FordF150 pickup? Yeah…my wife would love to have one. What kind of mileage you get on the road?” And so on.
Good conversation is refreshing. Not as refreshing as a cold Nehi Grape, but right up there in second place. This little piece is to remind each of us of the opportunities for friendship that are available if we just allow ourselves to slow down and unplug.
I can’t think of a better place to do this than on America’s front porch. 
Want to decorate your front porch with the items from our featured picture? Click the items below to purchase.
Has the item you wanted sold out? No worries! Check out our patriotic mall that is chock full of Americana decor.
Did you like this article? Subscribe to Brave Magazine!
~ Read the Current Brave Issue or explore Previous Brave Issues ~
Brave Magazine is published and paid for by FlagandBanner.com and our advertisers. It is FREE to FlagandBanner.com customers. The magazine publishes twice a year in May and October. We'd love to hear from you! Comments, questions, information, advertising, subscriptions or to share your Brave story with us!
Phone: (501) 255-5701 | Email: letters@bravemagazine.com | Address: 800 W. 9th Street, Little Rock, AR 72201
