What is your “third place?”

Have you heard that expression? I learned of it in the early 2000’s, and it resonated with me.

According to an article about the third place in the Perfect Daily Grind,

… an informal public gathering place that serves the community …

While home (the first place) is private and work (the second place) offers a structured social experience, third places are more relaxed public environments where people can meet and interact in a range of different ways. 

Note, community, public environment, and relaxed. A place to get together with others. No participant has to host or clean up.

There are the taverns/bars, think Cheers. And the coffeehouses.

The article brought up some interesting points to consider, especially as we emerge out of COVID-19. During COVID, home and work started to blend together, and I think most of us have been sorely missing that third place.

Here’s a Swedish term I recently learned of: fika. Norwegian hubby didn’t know it either. When I described it, he said Norwegians would probably call it kaffepause (coffee break). From this Perfect Daily Grind article, fika seems a bit more than just a coffee break, though. The Danish term hygge comes to mind, too. I found this interesting article on hygge in The New Yorker from December 2016, with interesting social commentary about Scandinavians and Americans.

Pour yourself a cup of Bea’s Knees, get yourself into a hygge state of mind, and read these articles. Then another day, chat about it with your buddies you meet at the cafe, your third place.