ANDY GRIFFITH is and has been essential viewing for folks in these parts for years. The show is good for a number of reasons. It could be the folksy wisdom of Andy himself that draws you to it or it could be his plain old common sense. For some, its Barney or maybe Otis the town drunk or even Ernest T Bass and their humorous escapades that make it pleasurable viewing. For me however, it’s the moments portrayed on Andy’s front porch. He’s strumming his guitar as Barney dozes, Opey plays in the front yard and Aunt Bea maybe sews or yarns or knits… whatever Aunt Beas do. Occasionally a visitor appears and some life lesson is taught or an insight revealed. My favorite porch episode is the one where the high stung business man’s car breaks down in Mayberry and Wally can’t fix his car immediately. He is forced to slow down and remain in the small sleepy town for a couple of days. The irritated man does not hide his contempt for the situation, Andy, and some of the people in the village.
Eventually this stressed individual finds his way to the porch. At first there is agitation at their perceived apathy toward his tense position. When in actuality they are just taking the time to savor the moment, enjoy friendship and take life as it is and not as we always think it should be. Soon the harried entrepreneur is engaged in some small talk which is actually big wisdom and shortly thereafter he is snoozing on the porch. He is at peace.
I have some bad news. Life will not always be simple like Mayberry, where problems are solved in thirty minutes and life lessons are learned with a simple word from Andy. But, we can always find a porch or some other gathering place where we can sort the stuff out and eventually find a sense of peace.
With this being said… this Wednesday from 6-7 pm I will be on the church porch outside of the Cornerstone building… weather permitting. If you want to bring your chair and sit, or bring your guitar and pick , or just come and wave at cars; feel free to stop and say hey… I promise I will try to keep my distance. Maybe we can find some peace.
Come to think of it maybe our nation and our world today would benefit from a good porch visit.
Andy O.