Central Perk, Tom’s Restaurant, Luke’s Diner and McGee’s Pub. Four of the most famous and irreverent situational comedy spots for main characters to convene, scheme, coordinate and flesh out most of an episode’s plot. By definition, a “third space” constitutes the places outside of a home and the workplace where people converse with others and connect with their communities. In many ways, third spaces help to create opportunities to live life as though it were a sitcom: creating side quests to liven up the mundane aspects of everyday life and adding moments of flair when they might not be expected.
Third spaces provide tranquility, rest and relaxation, and they can also serve as spaces to be productive outside of one’s home, whether with work, school or any instance when one might want to be particularly focused.
“I know a third space is, to put it simply, a place to go to socialize, or maybe you’re doing an activity and then you just happen to be socializing at the exact same time,” sophomore class co-president Grant Hudson said.
Studies show that while 80% of professionals work from bed, the detriments to one’s circadian rhythm and overall sleep quality are significantly diminished through such tendencies. In response, spending as minimal time as possible in one’s bed aside from sleeping is ideal — call in the third space.
A third space can range from a coffee shop to a park, to the middle of the ocean. For Hudson, the concept of a third space varies between the gym and spots for a weekend outing.
“The most obvious third space for me personally is Lifetime Fitness. While I do go there to work out, I often find myself spending the time talking to all my friends that I’ve made there. Sometimes it is a third space, and sometimes it’s not, because sometimes I’m locked in and sometimes I’m not. But I think Lifetime is a really good third space,” Hudson said. “Another place is the Farmer’s Market. You know, you go with your friends, and then you get some food, and you just hang around the vendors and stuff see what’s around.”
While life might not be a sitcom in the literal sense, it is always within one’s grasp to make the effort to treat it as such: being intentional about adding flair to one’s life, side-questing and making the most of every day outside of the mundane.
“I think that the random side quests really make your day, because if you just do homework in bed all day and just not do anything the next day, there won’t be anything to look forward to, and then you’ll feel like there’s a lack of purpose. So even though it’s a Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday [routine], you can still see your friends and you can still hang out with them,” Hudson said.
