Mall Walking. The Next Front Porch.

Back in the day, families use to sit out on their front porches to stay cool during the long, lazy summer months. Fans fanning and lemonade being drunk, families were pretty much forced into community with each other, their neighbors and passers-by. And then the invention of air conditioning changed our world forever.

Beyond obvious things like being able to sleep without needing to relocate to the crawl space, the air conditioner actually changed how we interact. No longer was it necessary to sit on the porch, so no longer was it a reality to spend large amounts of time with family and friends. Think about it. If you sat outside on your front stoop, how many people would stop and sit for a spell?

Eyeballs & Jawbreakers

I went with my husband to his eye appointment on Saturday. His provider happens to be located in our local mall. His appointment, however, started before the stores in the mall were open and we were early enough that his doctor wasn't even open. I can honestly say that I've not been in the mall when it's closed but what a fascinating experience.

As we sat on a little bench outside the doctor's office, I spied a giant carnival of candy dispensers. Something they hide down the side corridors to get one last quarter out of parents on their way out, I suspect. Then, I noticed wedged between the Lemonheads and Giant Jawbreakers was a Grande Starbucks something-er-other. After wishing I had a Starbucks, I thought, "What slob left their trash there?" I got my answer 3 minutes later when a collection of mall walkers glided by and one yoga-pant-clad women peeled away from the group to take a swig of her coffee. I was mortified and impressed all at the same time.

And then more walkers went by. Couples. Groups of men. Groups of women. But they all had one thing in common (other than their amazing ability to get up early on a Saturday to exercise), they were in animated conversations with each other. Community was happening right before my very eyes. One lap at a time. They looked like seasoned veterans and I was left thinking how spectacular it was that these people had inverted the air conditioning conundrum. They had come in from the cold and created community. And it made me think there was hope for us yet. If this handful of people can find a new front porch in the mall, I bet we all can find new front porches! Where's yours?