Ideas I want to write about

I used to be an advocate of productivity. I coached clients on how to squeeze every ounce of potential from the hour. I believed productivity was the means and the key to a purposeful life. In actual fact, my convictions on the subject were ramrod straight and sharp like a new razor.

Then without warning, things fell apart in April of this year,... See more

When you pause, become physically still and pay close attention to the nature of wanting. What does your body feel like when wanting is strong? Where do you experience the sensations of wanting most fully? Do you feel them as butterflies in the stomach? As agitation in the chest? As aching in the arms? Do you feel as if you are leaning forward,

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But a place outside of home and work, Oldenburg argued, is necessary for public wellbeing. “What suburbia cries for are the means for people to gather easily, inexpensively, regularly, and pleasurably,” said Oldenburg. “A ‘place on the corner,’ real life alternatives to television, easy escapes from the cabin fever of marriage and family life that... See more

Having a third place, where someone knows my name or recognizes my face, keeps me connected. It’s so easy to shut off, to feel alone in the face of everything, but sharing a kind word with a stranger reminds me to stay empathetic. Third places invite me to open myself up to external experiences, and ask me to examine my values and how I hold them... See more

As the news looms larger and larger, we all feel a bit smaller every day. But third places shrink our world down to fit us; there, we are recognized by others in a world that often does not recognize how soft and tender we each are. These community spaces are fundamental supporters of our psychological wellbeing, as was researched in California... See more