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0 pointsdekleinewolf16d ago0 comments

Hiya,

I'm 39 and divorced 3 years ago.

For me, my saviour was my 'third place'. I have frequented a spot since I was 18 where I can basically go any evening and there will be friends I know that I can chat with any time I need it. It makes not having a partner so, so much better.

And I also missed talking about the random small things in my day that no one except my partner really cares about. I deal with it by partly suppresing it, but I've also just decided that occasionally whomever comes into my path, be that a coworker or a friend or a family member will have to deal with it :). (Making sure I don't overload specific people to much). But the coworker right next to me at work definitely gets more little details from my private life than he would if I had a partner, and he happily deals with it :).

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dmos6216d ago

What's your third place, if you don't mind telling?

WouterSpaak16d ago

I'm not the parent comment, but their username suggests they're in The Netherlands or Flemish Belgium.

Small bars and cafes around the corner are _very_ common here. Even the smallest villages have at least one or two local watering holes. It's incredibly easy to sit down at the bar, strike up a small conversation with the bartender, and have a beer or two. You make friends in no time. Most of them shallow, but a few of them turn out to be lifelong "true" friends.

For instance, I just drove a friend of mine and his sister-in-law to Schiphol Airport this morning, because I had a meeting in Amsterdam today so I had to drive out there anyway (we're on the other side of the country). I've known this man for the better part of ten years. Met him at my local bar, or "stamkroeg" as we call it.

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