Monthly Archives: October 2011

As I drift into my mid-30s, the “quality of life” discussion seems to be cropping up more often. Conversations will often veer into some variation of things that “should” be done … diet-exercise-spendmoretimewithfriends-workless-havemorefun-cookathome-watchthesunset … in short, quality of life improvement initiatives. And while I should probably watch many, many more sunsets – quality of life for me is made up of five broad distinct elements that don’t have much with specific events and much more to do with creating a life with enough time and flexibility to allow me to choose what I want my life to look like, to be like.

Proximity to Immediate Family – For some, lack of proximity to family might be a reflection of true quality of life. But for me, being able to call my mother for lunch on a whim is precious. She won’t be around forever and every time I get to see her without planning cross-country journey makes me realize how lucky I am. My husband’s entire family is within an hour’s drive too – and even if we wanted to move, which we don’t, our family ties would keep us here.

Proximity to Friends  - Living in a city like Albuquerque where a 20-minute drive will get you just about anywhere means that a spontaneous lunch, dinner, happy hour, outing with friends is possible with a half-hour’s notice.

Proximity to Services - Mostly this means grocery stores. Wait. What? What’s the big deal about a grocery store? Have you ever talked with someone who lives far from a grocery store? It’s abject misery for them as they try to figure out how to acquire that one item needed to finish off a meal. My heart goes out to those in the urban food deserts with few options for food, much less healthy food.

Proximity to Work – Growing up with parents who braved a beltway commute for 20 years, do not underestimate the power of a short commute. I realize that many people do not have the luxury or choice as to their distance between home and work, but that doesn’t mean it shouldn’t be a goal. More time in a car getting to-and-from work means less time doing things you want to do. Period. My seven-minute commute and my husband’s 30-minute bike ride is nothing short of a gift. Along with the mere fact of having jobs. And having jobs we love. We’re grateful every single workday.

Proximity to Transportation – This can mean easy access to major arterials or freeways or can ideally mean access to public transportation  – buses, trains or subways. It also relates to proximity to a major airport. Ever flown in at midnight after a long day of flying and faced a drive home of an hour or more? Then you know what I mean. Easy access in and out of your home to places near and far is a major factor in a quality life in and out of your city.

Many people don’t have the luxury of choosing where they live and work and these days, and so many are struggling even to find work. But that doesn’t mean that, as a society, we shouldn’t aspire toward creating cities and towns and opportunities that allow us to connect and stay connected to people, to places and yes, to grocery stores. Excuse me while I dash out to buy some eggs.