Over time, it's easy to fall into routines that feel static and dull. This feeling gets reinforced when you stay in a static, dull indoor environment. Stepping outside is a way to access a sense of new and novel thanks in part to what architect Phillip Tabb, Ph.D., describes as "thin places."

I first heard Tabb talk about thin places during a visit to Serenbe, the well-being neighborhood that Tabb designed and resides in. He explained that these are places where we can connect to the sacred. In his 2023 book, Thin Place Design, Tabb refers to them as "spiritual experience thresholds," writing, "Transformative experiences in such places are not guaranteed, yet as the connection to the unknown or sacred becomes thinner, they are more likely to occur."

While we can stumble upon thin places anywhere, they are commonly found outdoors. A forest with sunlight sneaking through its canopy or a particularly vivid sunset can both be thin places. These vignettes are temporary, and that makes them even more profoundly exciting.

‍