Back Porch Wisdom - Inspirational Quotes & Life Lessons for Relaxing Outdoor Moments | Perfect for Porch Decor, Reading Nooks & Cozy Evenings

Back Porch Wisdom is a bit pretentious for a title, that's true. After all, who decides what is wisdom? But these essays aren't about me - they are about us, all of us. In this vein, I welcome you onto my back porch. It’s a summer evening, and I’m going to tell you a few tales about life in general through the lens of my life experiences. “Who is he, that he should be telling me his experiences?” your uncle might indelicately ask, leaning back in the faded vinyl rocker and unbuckling his pants to let the digestive juices work unencumbered, and daring your tale to overcome his food coma. I would respond that I am nobody of consequence, no more than anyone else, but the artful telling is the thing. In these 72 chapters you will be taken to a rubbing alcohol scented doctor’s office that is not exactly as Norman Rockwell pictured it; you will be transported to an oasis in the Negev desert where you will find welcome refreshment; and along the way you will meet characters like Popcorn Pierre, who tried and failed to pick a fight, the Cat With No Name who ate my pigeons and lived to hunt again, Sullivan – the Overt Rebel, the fizzling members of the band, Afire, and conventioneer jackals circling to feed on low aspiration workers. Some humorous, some tinged with poignancy, each story could launch a hundred more as you share them with others on your own back porch. In the midst of economic turmoil, terrorist threats, and culture wars, I hope that these simple reflections help you consider what makes us who we are – frightened arachnophobes who are yet heroes in training; failed treasure seekers with wealth in memories; sentimental patriots and rebellious kids; imprisoned students and stumped teachers; naïve advice givers and Shakespearean romantics. From the cynicism of the everyday, I hope you will find in these words “tongues in trees, books in the running brooks, sermons in stones, and good in every thing.” (From Shakespeare’s As You Like It, Act II, Scene I) Robert Kjar, PhD, is a husband of twenty-seven years and a father of three boys and two dogs. From a New Zealand tree house to the quiet Rocky Mountains, and from Japan corporate life to his home in the mid-west, he incorporates the places and people from his life in his writings.