Front Porches

Close your eyes, and imagine a house. Make this house the most welcoming house that you have ever seen, like it is beckoning you to just walk right in and make yourself at home. Now, what does that house look like? Does it have a porch? I would bet that you imagined it with one. I know that when I imagine this house mine is a two story white house with a front porch that spans the entire length of the house, and there are large white pillars in the front as well. There is also a long, but not overly long, driveway and the yard has full-grown, beautiful trees. A stereotypical representation of this house in my mind is what many of the old plantation houses looked liked. Despite all of these other characteristics that pull me in; it is the porch more than anything that creates the welcoming feeling of the house. A house's front porch gives a good indication about what kind of people live in the house.

Front porches come in all shapes, colors, sizes, and designs and because of that it is hard to classify a good, welcoming front porch but I think that simply looking at the front porch will give you the right vibe. The most welcoming front porches are those that are large and span most of or all of the front of the house. They are also ones that are not enclosed. Some enclosed porches do span the entire length of the front of the house however because they are enclosed they radiate the feeling of superiority. Like someone would need a special invitation into the porch instead of just being welcomed immediately. It is the welcoming front porches that are the best kind of porches and also reflect to passersby that those inside the house are welcoming themselves.

Then, there are the in-between porches. These are the ones that almost have it, but just simply do not quite completely make the requirements. These porches tend to be smaller and have a little less openness to them. Sometimes the people that live inside the house do all they can to dress up the porch and make it seem a little more welcoming or prettier than it is. These people still fit in with the group of welcoming people because they at least care enough to give their house a more homey feel. Sometimes people just can't help what kind of porch they get stuck with, and so it is important to look at what they do with their porch, with what they are given. On the other hand the people that don't do anything with their in-between porch are viewed as having their moments of welcomeness. On some days others might view their porch as one that is welcoming and on other days it could be considered not so welcoming.

Now, some houses simply do not have a porch and that causes the houses, in my opinion, to look a little awkward. It is these houses that are the hardest to judge. Sometimes, as I mentioned before, the decorating of the house makes the house seem very approachable. This can be achieved through landscaping and other decorations especially. Other times people don't really care about their house or their property and leave it unattended which turns off those that pass, and makes them seem a little unwelcome. With these porch-less houses it is important to look at other things like the landscaping or upkeep of the house to find out how it reflects the people that live in it.

For most people, their house is one that means a great deal to them and so it thus reflects the kind of people they are. People who are meticulous and orderly will reflect that in the upkeep of their yards and house fixtures. People who are welcoming will especially go to great lengths to reflect that on the outside of their house by putting up decorations for instance. Others who perhaps are busy or preoccupied with other things will pay less attention to their house and that uncaring attitude will reflect to those who pass by it. Porches are especially characteristic parts of a house that beckon others to come in and feel welcomed, and it is this part of the house that is especially telling of the type of people that live inside the house.

Reading for the Soul

I have always been a reader, and I have always liked to read. While there are all the practical applications for reading I had never been able to tell others why they should read without using one of those reasons. However, about a year ago I found my answer, and coincidentally enough it was while reading. East of Eden is a novel that was written by John Steinbeck, and it was while reading this novel that I found my answer. I found it is this line,"'But 'thou mayest'! Why, that makes a man great, that gives him stature with the gods, for in his weakness and his filth and his murder of his brother he has still the great choice. He can choose his course and fight it through and win.'" Now, some probably do not find this quote that interesting or even life changing, but for me it was. It changed something in me. It touched my soul and made me realize why I read. I read because I am searching for the things that are able to rock my soul. That are able to change it in ways that nothing else can. I read now to find the lines that affect me; to find the lines that change my life and make me better.



Some may argue that they have other things that change their life, but I would ask them what those are. Video games, shopping, sports, traveling, movies those are all things that people do but that don't change them. Sure, sometimes some things get close, some movies have great messages and lines that penetrate the soul, but nothing comes close to the power of the written word because of its adaptability. Authors can only do so much, they can only help create a picture in the reader's mind, and it is up to the reader to make that something memorable, something of worth to them.

In the above quote all that was running through my mind were pictures of my life and the choices I had made to get there. The choices, either good or bad, still were choices and still an exercise of thou mayest. My mind then strayed to the future, and it saw all the power that I had to make that future the one that I wanted. It was that above all else that was most touching to me. Movies already have a set picture; they already fill the mind with something which is why, even though the story and the picture might be powerful, it can never fully penetrate all the way into the soul because it does not allow the mind to adapt it to something that directly influences that person.



The written word will not go away. It will always be here waiting to be read to be put in action and to be the one thing above all else that drives people to be more. So, I dare you to find a book, read it, and find the one line or so that touches your soul. I guarantee that if you have chosen your book correctly it will be there waiting to change your life.