I have just read an article in the August 2024 issue of “Rotary Magazine” which is published by Rotary International every month. It is titled “Where everybody knows your name.”
Its title brings to mind the TV program “Cheers” which was a fictional bar based on a Boston bar. It was on 84 Beacon Street and just around the corner from my apartment off Charles St.
It’s formal name was The Bull and Finch Pub but we called it Bullfeathers. While the entrance was the entrance you saw on the TV show the interior was nothing like the show.
The original bar made you felt like you were back in old England, and it was the type of bar everybody stopped at after work to share a few pints. Why am I telling you this? Its because the article I read was on third places and Bullfeathers was our third place when I lived in Boston.
What are third places and why are they important? They are neutral ground; everybody you meet there is your equal and there is no status. They are inclusive, everybody is welcome.
Sort of like Cheers on TV. Lots of regulars, good companionship, low profile and very ordinary. The best part is they feel like a home away from home.
Third places can be almost anything, such as Sporting Events, Firehalls, Cafes, Libraries, Churches, bars, Rotary clubs and other organizations. It is where you connect with other people and socialize.
Today we are losing our third places. The internet was supposed to free people to but has had an opposite effect by making them feel Isolated because they no longer have personal contact that neighborhood places had.
Covid didn't help by forcing all the businesses to close for months on end which many of them never recovered from. It was a one two punch for these type of institutions.
People feel depressed, isolated and lonely because they are not physically connected with a third place where they are known and welcomed. Are you making use of a third place by visiting it on a regular basis? I am going to explore this more in the next blog.
If you have struggled with this question and others then go to Patterson2Y2R,com/blog. I want this to be a place where you can visit and share your stories and challenges.
I have an ear that would love to hear your stories. Let’s taste the real meaning of life. I am still working on my course with a goal of launching a starter course by June 30th, and I will keep you abreast as to how the process goes.
If you want to participate in this process and join my first class please send me an email to bobchuckpatterson@yahoo.com
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