My favorite place around here are the two porch swings, one on the front
of the house and one on the side. A porch swing, with it’s gentle sway
creating a cooling breeze and of course it’s squeak is a great place to
gain perspective. Don’t underestimate the value of the squeak because
swinging without the squeak is like dancing without music.
This life lends itself to lots of decision making and it is said before
making any serious decisions look at things from a different perspective.
I personally take this to mean I should never make a decision before
thinking about it on both the front porch swing and the side porch swing.
Perspective has several meanings but my favorite is view. The side
porch has more of a business perspective with the dairy barns, silo and
calves in clear sight while the front porch has more of an easy going
perspective.
Business decisions can’t be made with just a view from the side porch
swing because our lifestyle doesn’t become part of the equation.
Lifestyle decisions must first be made from the view from that side porch
because the farm pretty much dictates when and what we do.
Life is easier from the front porch swing with a view of the traffic on
the slow moving country road, the creek wandering past, the emerald
green, tree covered knobs in the background , and the rolling farmland
in the foreground. The headaches of the farm can slip away, if only for
a few moments from the perspective in the front porch swing.
The side porch swing on the other hand lets us see not only our
upcoming tasks but also our accomplishments. A good herd of dairy
cows, a nice group of heifers, (the future of this dairy) and the facilities
to care for them both.
When things are going well I most enjoy the side porch view but
when I want to escape, the front porch lets me turn my back to the
farm if only for a few moments.
Two totally different perspectives on the same subject both within
twenty feet of each other. I guess it’s all mental but isn’t everything.
About the author:
Stuart Mattingly, with the help of his family runs a fifth generation dairy farm in Central Kentucky. His website can be found at http://www.10acresbackyard.com
