#BLOGTOBER + #WRITE31DAYS
Monday, October 19 :: Where are your third place? Where do you hang out the most and spend your most time outside of work and home?
Have you ever heard of third places? A book that is on my soon-to-read reading list is all about them. It's written by Ray Oldenburg and called Celebrating the Third Place.
A "third place" is defined as the social surroundings separate from the two usual social environments of home ("first place") and the workplace ("second place").
Like a coffee shop. Or a Mexican restaurant. A library. A park.
I love the idea of third places. Investing in a specific, intentional location in your community to be seen, to get to know others, and to actively participate in the community.
For us, we have two go-to restaurants that are our favorites for any meal. Both picked because they are close to our home and so that we can get to know the people in our community. La Casa Mexican restaurant is our favorite for date night. The Mexican food is fantastic, but it is really the opportunity to be a light in the wait staff and get to know them. Fire and Smoke is across the parking lot and is our favorite to show off when somebody comes to town. We love taking guests to eat here. Again, it is local and we are intentional about eating there over other places.
Also, as I am transitioning into a new role with a new company that allows me to work from home, I think about where I want my third place to be with this role. I can work from Starbucks or Panera Bread, or really wherever within reason... so when I am itching to get out of the house for the afternoon to work, I have yet to decide where that place will be.
What does a third place look like to you?
