The First Place is the Home, the Second Place is the Workplace and the Third Place is where We Are Truly At One With The World.
Humans are basically social creatures, a majority of us anyway. We keep Sane by being in touch and connecting with other Humankind (in doing so, with Ourselves).
Third Places are friends’ homes, bookstores, concerts, churches, toy/comic conventions, cafes, gyms, parks, shopping malls, streets, corridors, cars, taxis, trains and buses etc.
Me ‘relaxing’ in my buddy Adrian’s home for cocktail drinks (above image), trying out the ergonomical tweezer-chopsticks that he proudly bought cheap online.
I tell my kids that the most potent jujitsu social skill one needs when dealing with the outside world – the ability to be goofy and laugh at yourself. Any incoming insults are merely water off the duck’s back.
Third Places play crucial roles in Blue Zones – places with unusually high concentrations of long, healthy and well lived people.
These areas are a result of a combination of lifestyle factors leading to a longer and healthier Life. This include laughter, smiles, diet, physical activity, social connections and stress management.
Lest we forget, Laughter and Smiles are essential dietary (biological, emotional and spiritual) sustenance.
Blue Zones include Okinawa (Japan), Ikaria (Greece), Loma Linda (California, USA), Sardinia (Italy) and Nicoya (Costa Rica).
Singapore is dubbed the sixth Blue Zone, according to Dan Buettner. Singapore is Blue Zone 2.0 because the longevity of its people are due more to the forwarding-thinking government health policies than the long-established cultural traditions in the other traditional Blue Zone communities.
Dear readers, I want to highlight a seventh Blue Zone – You.
You, yourself, are indeed a living, breathing, thriving Blue Zone.
Every one of us is a Blue Zone, if you want it to be.
My Street Ninja Bags (above image).
My go-to street ninja bag holds two essential accessories – umbrella and water bottle. And whatever cool shit I happen to buy that day.
I must confess – I am, at heart, an Urban guy. I prefer exploring the electric streets and happening shopping malls than traipsing through ravines. It took me till 2024 to visit New Zealand. Only because my family wanted to visit the beautiful, lush and natural country. I’m more of a New York and Harajuku kind of traveller.
My weathered US authentic “NINJA 1” license plate (above image) and other, shall we say, fun “Job Description” license plates collected over the decades.
Armed with my street ninja bags, I immerse myself into the social community. Here I interact (engage) with the people (mostly strangers) I meet along my path.
My weathered US authentic “ROAD” license plate (above image), reminds to get out there and intermingle with fellow humans.
I tell others the life lessons one gets from The Road far outweighs the lessons from school and books.
It is on the streets that I get my Vitamin P (People) fix. This is one health supplement you cannot buy in pharmacies. Plus being out moderately in the sunshine (Vitamin D) is good for the body, being exposed (again, moderately) to the sun’s UVB rays.
Armed with my eye-contact, smile and a subtle nod of my head, my non-verbal greeting to receptive strangers (fellow walkers, food sellers, shop assistants etc.) is – “I see you and happy trails!“.
When they return my acknowledgement, I say to myself – now there’s a fellow Blue Zoner.
My weathered US authentic “WALK” license plate (above image), reminds me that Walking stimulates the brain. Great, profound, poignant ideas will come, just ask fellow walker Steve Jobs.
I tell my friends, when you encounter some issues, get out of your home, take a walk, look at and interact with people. Never brood at home or workplace. Get some fresh air and a nice healthy dose of Reality.
When walking the streets, you’ll soon realise first-hand that you are NOT the only one with problems. Congratulations, you are now a bona-fide life-time member of the “Life Happens” Club.
Embrace Your Third (Healing) Place, Blue Zone Reader!
Stay Young, Healthy & Happy, Walk On and Smile!
