Porch time

My husband likes to read, plan projects, watch the birds, process and think whenever he sits out on our 25-foot long porch. He craves solitude and energizes from it. He thrives on what he dubs "porch time." When we had this cabin built in 2002, my good friend and principal of the high school where I worked lauded the value of time to process all the information that bombards us daily. He commended Dave for his porch time. Even in cold weather my husband dons his ski parka and sits out there for long stretches of time.
On the other hand, I'll admit to being a fair-weather porch sitter, but I do find it refreshing to work out there in these summer months. I pick wild flowers and place various arrangements on the porch table. This small table also accommodates the lap top, my Bible, some gardening tools, and whatever books I'm in the process of reading. Despite the clutter on the table, I relish the views of the trees, four bird feeders, and the field of wild flowers, the fruit of my husband's sowing boxes of wild flower seeds the first four summers we came out here for vacations.
I now take the time to unwind, to simply appreciate the beauty of all that surrounds us here. I also write, read or talk with my husband or the kids when they call. Echoing Thoreau, I purpose to live "intentionally" in these woods. And I try to process what I read, see or hear and not just drink in ever increasing draughts from our information-laden society. I'll be posting this later tonight because I'm headed back out to the porch. Hope you get some porch time yourself today.