1 00:00:03,000 --> 00:00:09,320 Speaker 1: Welcome to Before Breakfast, a production of iHeartRadio. Good Morning, 2 00:00:10,680 --> 00:00:16,120 Speaker 1: This is Laura. Welcome to the Before Breakfast podcast. Today's 3 00:00:16,120 --> 00:00:20,280 Speaker 1: tip is to get out of the house. For people 4 00:00:20,320 --> 00:00:24,000 Speaker 1: with in person jobs or kids to watch at sports practices, 5 00:00:24,680 --> 00:00:28,320 Speaker 1: a day spent completely at home may feel like a dream. 6 00:00:29,200 --> 00:00:31,800 Speaker 1: But if your daily life doesn't require you to get 7 00:00:31,800 --> 00:00:35,040 Speaker 1: out of the house regularly, you're wise to get yourself 8 00:00:35,080 --> 00:00:39,560 Speaker 1: out the door sometimes anyway, and in particular to a 9 00:00:39,600 --> 00:00:44,839 Speaker 1: place where people know and recognize you. So you may 10 00:00:44,880 --> 00:00:48,519 Speaker 1: have heard of the concept of a third place. This 11 00:00:48,640 --> 00:00:51,280 Speaker 1: is a place that is not home and is not work, 12 00:00:51,560 --> 00:00:55,040 Speaker 1: where you can interact with people and feel connected. Howard 13 00:00:55,040 --> 00:00:58,320 Speaker 1: Schultz famously claimed that Starbucks was a third place, and 14 00:00:58,360 --> 00:01:00,680 Speaker 1: of course there was the bar and the TV show Cheers, 15 00:01:00,720 --> 00:01:04,240 Speaker 1: where everybody knows your name. Much has been written of 16 00:01:04,319 --> 00:01:07,760 Speaker 1: late about the decline of traditional third places, like say 17 00:01:07,880 --> 00:01:11,319 Speaker 1: a union hall or the VFW or other such places 18 00:01:11,360 --> 00:01:15,440 Speaker 1: where people would gather. And that's too bad, since these days, 19 00:01:15,480 --> 00:01:18,360 Speaker 1: for many people such places wouldn't even be a third place. 20 00:01:18,840 --> 00:01:21,880 Speaker 1: They'd actually be a second place. A lot of us 21 00:01:22,200 --> 00:01:25,600 Speaker 1: don't go into an office regularly thanks to the rise 22 00:01:25,680 --> 00:01:29,000 Speaker 1: of remote work and of course, stay at home parents 23 00:01:29,000 --> 00:01:32,199 Speaker 1: wouldn't have an office but still have the same need 24 00:01:32,240 --> 00:01:36,920 Speaker 1: for connection as everyone else. So if you fall into 25 00:01:36,959 --> 00:01:40,440 Speaker 1: these categories and spend many hours a day in your house, 26 00:01:41,240 --> 00:01:45,600 Speaker 1: consider where you might go regularly for a change of 27 00:01:45,680 --> 00:01:49,960 Speaker 1: scenery and some conversation. That is a place that might 28 00:01:49,960 --> 00:01:53,160 Speaker 1: be a second or a third place for you. It 29 00:01:53,280 --> 00:01:55,760 Speaker 1: might be a coffee shop, but it might also be 30 00:01:55,840 --> 00:01:59,440 Speaker 1: a library or a bar, or a community center, or 31 00:01:59,440 --> 00:02:02,720 Speaker 1: a coworking space, or a busy local playground where you 32 00:02:02,760 --> 00:02:05,760 Speaker 1: tend to go at the same time most days. Maybe 33 00:02:05,760 --> 00:02:08,799 Speaker 1: it's a regular fellowship at your house of worship, or 34 00:02:08,840 --> 00:02:12,760 Speaker 1: a volunteer gig, or a space associated with a particular 35 00:02:12,800 --> 00:02:16,680 Speaker 1: form of activism that is important to you. Now, I 36 00:02:16,680 --> 00:02:19,320 Speaker 1: will say that in many cases, getting out of the 37 00:02:19,360 --> 00:02:24,480 Speaker 1: house is inefficient. Maybe you only have a few hours 38 00:02:24,520 --> 00:02:26,920 Speaker 1: where all your kids are out of the house at school, 39 00:02:27,560 --> 00:02:30,720 Speaker 1: you're trying to cram a full time job into that time. 40 00:02:31,720 --> 00:02:35,000 Speaker 1: People might be allowed at the coffee shop, or maybe 41 00:02:35,000 --> 00:02:39,520 Speaker 1: the Wi Fi at the library is sometimes spotty, but 42 00:02:39,600 --> 00:02:42,519 Speaker 1: it still tends to be a human need to want 43 00:02:42,560 --> 00:02:45,960 Speaker 1: to cross paths with other people and stay connected. You 44 00:02:46,000 --> 00:02:48,320 Speaker 1: don't have to discuss the meaning of life for your 45 00:02:48,520 --> 00:02:51,320 Speaker 1: deepest hopes and dreams. For a conversation to feel good, 46 00:02:52,200 --> 00:02:57,400 Speaker 1: even talking about something mundane can work. What's more, weak 47 00:02:57,520 --> 00:02:59,960 Speaker 1: ties are often how we find things like new jobs 48 00:03:00,200 --> 00:03:03,640 Speaker 1: and meet new people in general, because our strong ties 49 00:03:03,720 --> 00:03:05,920 Speaker 1: already know about the same jobs and people we do. 50 00:03:07,360 --> 00:03:10,040 Speaker 1: The guy at the coffee shop with the public radio 51 00:03:10,040 --> 00:03:12,560 Speaker 1: sticker on his laptop who drinks a lot of tea 52 00:03:12,840 --> 00:03:15,440 Speaker 1: just like you do. Maybe the person who points you 53 00:03:15,480 --> 00:03:18,600 Speaker 1: to your next big client. The woman at the dog 54 00:03:18,680 --> 00:03:21,760 Speaker 1: park may mention how her son volunteered at the Humane 55 00:03:21,760 --> 00:03:24,799 Speaker 1: Society when he was a kid, and you realize that 56 00:03:24,960 --> 00:03:28,560 Speaker 1: is the perfect summer experience for your animal loving daughter. 57 00:03:29,680 --> 00:03:33,360 Speaker 1: Crossing paths with more people means we become more aware 58 00:03:34,080 --> 00:03:38,040 Speaker 1: of more opportunities. Another reason for getting out of the 59 00:03:38,080 --> 00:03:41,800 Speaker 1: house is just practical. It keeps your social skills sharp. 60 00:03:42,920 --> 00:03:45,960 Speaker 1: A remote worker I know of says only half jokingly 61 00:03:46,400 --> 00:03:48,560 Speaker 1: that if she doesn't leave her house for a couple 62 00:03:48,560 --> 00:03:54,160 Speaker 1: of days, she starts feeling herself getting weird. Remember your 63 00:03:54,200 --> 00:03:57,640 Speaker 1: first in person interactions after the worst of the COVID pandemic, 64 00:03:57,680 --> 00:04:00,840 Speaker 1: and you will know what she means. So be on 65 00:04:00,880 --> 00:04:03,600 Speaker 1: the lookout for a good third place, or perhaps a 66 00:04:03,640 --> 00:04:06,840 Speaker 1: second place, if that's what it is for you. Continuing 67 00:04:06,880 --> 00:04:09,080 Speaker 1: with this list, it could be your gym, it could 68 00:04:09,080 --> 00:04:12,720 Speaker 1: be a bookstore. Ideally it's a place that doesn't require 69 00:04:12,720 --> 00:04:14,840 Speaker 1: a lot of advanced planning for you to go to. 70 00:04:16,040 --> 00:04:18,800 Speaker 1: As for when you go to your third slash second place, 71 00:04:19,279 --> 00:04:22,000 Speaker 1: and obvious idea is to go there to work, take 72 00:04:22,040 --> 00:04:25,680 Speaker 1: your laptop and headphones and work there for a morning. 73 00:04:26,720 --> 00:04:28,800 Speaker 1: You can also go to your third place for a 74 00:04:28,880 --> 00:04:32,560 Speaker 1: meal or beverage. You really can take yourself out for 75 00:04:32,600 --> 00:04:34,440 Speaker 1: bacon and eggs or a cup of coffee or a 76 00:04:34,480 --> 00:04:39,280 Speaker 1: salad without a companion. Third places are also great for leisure. 77 00:04:40,040 --> 00:04:42,960 Speaker 1: Meet up with a friend, take a book or magazine, 78 00:04:43,480 --> 00:04:46,400 Speaker 1: or people watch, and say hi to friends you run into. 79 00:04:48,040 --> 00:04:50,320 Speaker 1: I can see setting the norm that you will get 80 00:04:50,360 --> 00:04:53,760 Speaker 1: out of your house at least once a day. If 81 00:04:53,800 --> 00:04:56,440 Speaker 1: you have an in person meeting or a volunteer commitment, 82 00:04:56,480 --> 00:05:00,280 Speaker 1: a social engagement, a doctor's appointment or exercise class, those 83 00:05:00,279 --> 00:05:02,840 Speaker 1: could all be your outing for the day. But if 84 00:05:02,880 --> 00:05:06,720 Speaker 1: you would otherwise be home all day, maybe decide that 85 00:05:06,760 --> 00:05:08,520 Speaker 1: it would still be wise to get out of the 86 00:05:08,520 --> 00:05:12,359 Speaker 1: house for at least a little bit, visit your other place, 87 00:05:12,440 --> 00:05:15,400 Speaker 1: whether that's your third place or second place, and you 88 00:05:15,440 --> 00:05:20,720 Speaker 1: will probably feel better as a result. In the meantime, 89 00:05:21,520 --> 00:05:25,880 Speaker 1: this is Laura. Thanks for listening, and here's to making 90 00:05:25,920 --> 00:05:36,240 Speaker 1: the most of our time. Thanks for listening to Before Breakfast. 91 00:05:36,800 --> 00:05:40,520 Speaker 1: If you've got questions, ideas, or feedback, you can reach 92 00:05:40,600 --> 00:05:50,280 Speaker 1: me at Laura at Laura vandercam dot com. Before Breakfast 93 00:05:50,320 --> 00:05:54,560 Speaker 1: is a production of iHeartMedia. For more podcasts from iHeartMedia, 94 00:05:54,640 --> 00:05:58,680 Speaker 1: please visit the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you 95 00:05:58,720 --> 00:05:59,960 Speaker 1: listen to your favorite shows.