A LITTLE PORCH THERAPY

With the April sun shining brightly and a cool breeze in the air, I realized that I was overdue for a little porch therapy. So, with lunch in my hand and “Silent Charlie” following close, we sat down and took a break on my screened-in porch.

This is the place where time seems to stand still and life becomes a little more simple! On the porch, you can think about everything or nothing at all. Creativity flows easily here and my soul finds stillness.

A Little History

Sitting on the porch takes me back to my childhood. My father absolutely loved sitting on the porch enjoying a tall glass of lemonade. He was a hard working man and the porch was his sanctuary. I loved it as well. The absolute best was watching a storm come in and seeing how long we could stay on the porch before getting wet.

Sometimes we talked, but more often, we simply enjoyed being outside. I did a lot of thinking on my parents’ porch. It was a place for questions about the future, dreaming and wondering what my life would be like.

Then and Now

Many years later, I still love porch sitting. Now, my porch therapy occurs on my screened-in back porch. It’s definitely an upgrade from my parents’ front porch and a little drier when storm watching!

In years past, porch sitting was a status symbol and allowed neighbors to connect with each other. Now all we need to connect is a cell phone. But are we really connecting? Personally, I prefer the quiet and seclusion of my back porch, but if a neighbors drops in, that’s okay too.

Benefits

The current pace of my life has been a little too fast. I needed to slow down and make space for some things that I enjoy. Porch therapy is on the top of that list. Here are some of the benefits:

• Sitting on the porch brings you together with nature. The beauty of the outdoors and sounds of living things calm the soul.
• It’s really an outdoor living room. A living space with a better view.
• Fresh air and a change of perspective relieves stress.
• There’s no laundry, dishes, chores or work to be done on the porch. Relaxation is all that is required.
• Studies show that being outside and even just looking at trees can lower your blood pressure.
• It’s a great place for reading with few distractions.
• And finally, porch sitting goes perfectly with a glass of wine!

Final Thoughts

Living in such a fast paced, I want everything now culture, can take a toll on your mental well-being. I love the benefits of technology but sometimes you just need to slow down, change your perspective, and breathe in some fresh air. So for now, a little porch therapy is all I need to rest and reset!

I would love to hear your thoughts and memories about “porch sitting”. Leave me a comment about why you love porch therapy too!