Winter Evening
Views from a Front Porch…Introduction
I grew up a city girl, to be exact, a suburban girl in Pasadena, Texas. In case you don’t know, Pasadena is just southeast of Houston; and a small town it is not. Even in my formative years it was a town of about 300,000. When I followed the rest of my family from Texas to small-town Mississippi, the term culture shock does not adequately illustrate how out of water this fish felt. Oh, I had visited the state of my birth at least once a year until the move, so I was familiar with the slower pace of life. But visiting and living in a less hectic environment are vastly different experiences.
I am not sure I have acclimated to the pace of life in Mississippi, but I have grown to appreciate it. The appreciation has been hard won. Although I bought a house in Jackson over twenty years ago, it has served more as a base of operations than a home. Three years ago, my parents asked me to move in with them, as they were both in failing health. That presented another difficult transition, because what I did appreciate about my little Jackson house was the fact that the space was MINE. Living with other people when one is used to their own space is challenging. I set about on a mission to find my own little sanctuary. That turned out to be their front porch.
My weekend ritual became, make myself a cup (or pot) of coffee, take it outside onto the front porch and enjoy it along with the sounds of nature. The birds chirping happily as they flit from tree to tree or as they occasionally hop around the yard punctuate the solitude. The rustle of trees as the leaves are moved by the unseen wind relaxes me and lulls me into a place of quiet reflection. I have solved many of life’s problems over the past three years during weekend mornings spent on that front porch.
The front porch has become a symbol of reflection that I have taken with me when I am away from the house. It may be the deck of a beach house in Oregon, or a busting sidewalk café in New Orleans, or even a quiet corner table in a hotel restaurant. The front porch represents the ability to disconnect from the chaos around me and find a quiet, inner space to reflect.
I will share some of those reflections with you as I assume the persona of Kate, the original Voluptuous Voyager. All of the “Views from a Front Porch…” will be my own. Many may be formulated on the rural front porch of what is now my home, but some will be reflections conjured from the quiet inner space found on the virtual front porches of where ever life takes me. I hope you enjoy‘my views and I wish that you find your own front porch from which you can shut out the noise and reflect.
kathryndstokes 