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Writer's pictureJen Vallieres

What Does it Mean to Sit on the Porch?


When I think about what makes me, well me, I think about the places in my life. Each place had a profound impact on who I am, whether it be the glow of the sunrise on my favorite beach, the smell of snow in the mountains out West, the sounds of my first year dorm on my college campus, my childhood stomping grounds, or my family’s front porch.


But, the front porch has a unique meaning to me. It somehow brings together every place I’ve ever lived all in one location. How could that be?

The porch invites people into our home. It invites people to sit and talk, watch the rain fall, the day heat up while enjoying a cup of coffee, feel the nights chill with children laughing in the street, and on the porch, life just slows down.


The front porch also means it’s summertime. Summertime in my world is the one time in my life where loved ones pass through, maybe for a couple of hours or maybe for a couple days, but on the front porch, we get to catch up. Summertime on the porch is like the joyous reunion of family and friends during a wedding but spread out of the course of a summer season. The places in my life converge on the porch, showcasing the gifts I possess from knowing so many spectacular humans. Those people have shaped me with their inner lights they bring to this universe. Their geography imprints on me and seeing their faces on the porch reinforcing all the important life lessons I have learned from them.


Almost everybody I’ve loved has sat on the front porch. This summer, as I sit on the front porch, I realize I need time to reconnect to the cherished people from the places I love. Working in a caregiving a profession can means sometimes losing sight of what I need, deep breaths, and my own connections. So, whether you know me and you know the porch, or whether you know me and haven’t been to the porch (get yourself down here now!), or whether you don’t know me, I urge each of you to find your version of the front porch. We all deserve a second to soak in what we need, myself included, and remember the importance of connection to whatever, wherever, or whoever it is, that we care about.

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