Heading out to restart our lives...

You know how when they make a movie or a play, there’s always a bar or a restaurant where all the action happens? I was always quite sceptical about that. There’s no chance that so many things would all go down at the same establishment.

We spend our time in so many different social spaces and the pivotal events of our lives can happen in any of them. But then I looked at my life, as one tends to do in these contemplative times, and I noticed that a bunch of the most pivotal events of my life have gone down in the same bar – The Foundry, in Parktown North.

I don’t even live near the Foundry! But, sure enough, when matters in my life come to a head, and I find myself in a particular psychological space ... I find myself going to the Foundry.

If you’ve been to the Foundry, you’ll know it has a spacious, stylishly appointed dining hall, and a more intimate bar area, with a tasty and varied menu. The staff are attentive and professional, including George, the barman, and there is a balcony beloved of our nation’s beleaguered smokers.

It has provided the perfect venue for a series of meetings that defined my life.

I took my former wife there on a date, when we were trying to patch things up. I used to go there after practice with my band. I met a group of friends there once a month to socialise, when I was re-establishing my single life.

My next partner, where did we go on our early dates? That’s right, the Foundry. When that relationship ran its course and I started dating again, where did I turn to when put on the spot for a venue?

There may be such a place in your mind and in your life, too. A place with just the right atmosphere for you to feel safe. A place where you can be you.

The tragedy is that as I sit here typing, I have no idea whether the Foundry still exists. That welcoming bar and eatery on the corner of Third and Seventh. When we emerge like hobbits from our holes at the end of this lockdown, will I still be able to go to the Foundry and be myself?

One can’t help wondering how our spaces will change after this.

When we head out to restart our lives, we may find that our lives are no longer where we left them. It may take a while to find them again.