What We Mean When We Talk About Quality Of Life

Vienna, Austria is consistently rated among the cities with the highest quality of life. I agree with that evaluation. Here’s one example.

I had some time on my hands early on a Saturday morning. I decided to visit a public park that I normally wouldn’t visit.

Playground spaces always speak to me: How much room is there to run and jump? How many different ways can kids challenge themselves and their dexterity? How many pieces of equipment are designed for multiple children? How is fun built into the design of the space? This part offered a series of playgrounds and play spaces, including the skater park at the top. All of it looked so welcoming. I was fascinated by these giant swings that I actually put down my backpack and had a go. It was calming and delightful.

While I was composing this on my cell phone, the post published before I could finish. I wanted to describe the things I saw and how they struck me, like this tree above. I had never seen one like it before. It was a needle tree but in the shape of a deciduous tree. I was genuinely fascinated. Trunk like a cypress and these very bright light green fingers of needles hanging down and the roots threatening to burst its concrete casing.

Since it was so early in the morning, the park was nearly empty and gloriously peaceful. Ponds, fountains and rolling green spaces made me feel incredibly grateful for the time I took to explore and discover. Privilege in action. That’s part of quality of life.