In Remembrance of the Declaration of Independence and Front Porches

"Independence day honors the birthday of the United States of America and the signing of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776. It's a day of picnics and patriotic parades, a night of concerts and fireworks, and a reason to fly the American flag." -USA.gov

I wasn't going to write anything for today. I assumed there would be enough patriotic writing elsewhere, and who could use another one, right? But I just got back home from a family get together and now I want to write something.

As I drive down the old country road covered by treetop canopies, I see an old wooden house surrounded by my family. It was good to see all of my family again, most of them I only get to see maybe twice a year. But I think the best part about the reunion was the food.

Now, one of the things my family is known for is their cooking, and this fourth of July they did not hold back. There were piles of ribs, barbecued chicken, hamburgers, hot dogs, potato salad, corn on the cob, buttered bread, coleslaw, beans; all of which was amazingly delicious. And now I won't have to worry about eating for the rest of the week.

"Good food ends with good talk." -Geoffrey Neighor

But I think the best part of the whole day was where it was at. The house is an old country house. The ceiling is the underneath of the floor above. All the walls are wooden, and the fireplace is in the center. Around the house are knickknacks and cozy southern furniture. It has an old wood porch with rocking chairs that people actually use to sit and relax. The lunch was located outside, under a giant oak tree (I don't know what kind of tree it really is, but let's just say it's an oak tree). This tree was not just your average "giant oak tree." It literally covered their large back yard creating so much shade it actually felt good to sit outside. Their neighbors stopped by with their dog, who was a good old country dog.

From the slow cooking barbecue to the slow moving dog, it seemed like everything took just a little longer when I was there. I think that's something that I didn't respect when I was younger. Now that I have a lot to do, I can enjoy driving to the country and just relaxing. I think that in a society that is based off of rushing to the next big thing, everyone needs to experience a little country life.


Imagine how much more relaxed you would be if you could just sit for an hour or so and read the paper on your front porch. Doing such a thing now would be considered lazy, because "think about how much stuff you could get done instead!" But think about how much more stressed out you're making yourself, when you could be giving your nerves a break. I guess I have always been a laid back person, and whether or not that's a good thing can be debated, but I've never gotten worked up about something like traffic or work that could wait until Monday.

It could be argued that the most successful people are the ones who don't stop working. Like, stock brokers for a change. Even when they go on vacation they watch stocks so they can be ready to make their next move. But what kind of life is that? It can't possibly be good to think about work constantly, no matter how successful it makes you. I think the southerners knew that, and that's why they had front porches.

Front porches? They're the decks that are on the front of your house that have rocking chairs. Rocking chairs? No, they're not the latest Guitar Hero accessory, they're chairs you sit on to relax. Relax? You know, that's what you do when you're not worrying about school or work or what he/she said or... oh you don't know how to relax? No, I'm pretty sure they don't explain that on the DIY Network.



My father is a carpenter and I used to work with him during the summers. Needless to say, I've seen a few houses in my day. The main difference, that I've noticed, between old houses and new houses are that new houses don't have front porches. The porch probably died sometime between the automobile and subdivision. Back when everyone was sporting a horse and buggy instead of the latest hybrid they stopped and said hello to you while you were relaxing on your front porch. Now it seems like everyone's in a hurry to get inside and lock their doors.

"Ironically, rural America has become viewed by a growing number of Americans as having a higher quality of life not because of what it has, but because of what it does not have!" -Don A. Dillman

So while you remember the Declaration of Independence today, or try to remember if you've already started drinking, try to remember front porches as well. Think about the freedom the Declaration brought from the British, and the freedom the front porch brought from a stressful day. And if at all possible, take a nap on a hammock in the shade before drunks start blowing things up.