WEBVTT - Plant an invitation

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<v Speaker 1>Welcome to Before Breakfast, a production of iHeartRadio. Good Morning.

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<v Speaker 1>This is Laura. Welcome to the Before Breakfast podcast. Today's

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<v Speaker 1>tip is to plant an invitation for an engaging activity.

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<v Speaker 1>This tip comes from author and gatherings expert Pria Parker.

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<v Speaker 1>In a recent piece, she described how everyone enjoys time

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<v Speaker 1>at her friend Heidie's house. As Parker put it, Heidie

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<v Speaker 1>leaves tiny, non verbal invitations all over her house for

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<v Speaker 1>her guests to discover. There might be a backgamon board

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<v Speaker 1>out of the case placed on a coffee table, a

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<v Speaker 1>pile of books to flip through stacked in a window nook,

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<v Speaker 1>a kid sized table with a cup of markers and

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<v Speaker 1>two pieces of white paper left out, a big jump

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<v Speaker 1>rope in the backyard. Parker continues, each is a pro

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<v Speaker 1>social nudge to connect and engage, often in smaller pairs,

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<v Speaker 1>in ways that tend to lead people through side doors

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<v Speaker 1>into unexpected conversations. Doesn't that sound nice? There is delight

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<v Speaker 1>in spotting a possible activity, like an easter egg, waiting

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<v Speaker 1>for you to find it. As Parker notes, invitations like

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<v Speaker 1>these may be especially appreciated by introverts, who may prefer

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<v Speaker 1>what she calls small play over small talk. Planting invitations

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<v Speaker 1>is great for parties, but there are lots of other

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<v Speaker 1>times when an activity invitation could be welcome too. Lately,

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<v Speaker 1>I have been thinking a lot about evenings, my own

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<v Speaker 1>and other peoples. This time can feel lost or like

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<v Speaker 1>a slog, but with a little intentionality, you can transform

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<v Speaker 1>the time to become golden hours. Planting invitations may be

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<v Speaker 1>one gentle way to make evenings more rewarding. If you

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<v Speaker 1>are trying to nudge yourself or your household toward more

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<v Speaker 1>meaningful evenings, consider planting supplies for evening activities. You could

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<v Speaker 1>buy a deck of cards like those from table Topics,

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<v Speaker 1>with conversation starters like what movie made you laugh until

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<v Speaker 1>you cried? Or what's the nicest thing anyone ever said

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<v Speaker 1>to you? Or you could go to the nonprofit Story

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<v Speaker 1>Corps website search great questions and print out a list.

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<v Speaker 1>These might take your dinner conversations up a notch. You

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<v Speaker 1>won't be surprised to hear that. I also recommend puzzles

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<v Speaker 1>and legos as invitations for evening activities. Crans, pencils or

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<v Speaker 1>markers in drawing paper could be great too, so could Plato.

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<v Speaker 1>Just set the items on the table or in a

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<v Speaker 1>high traffic area and they will pull people in. Or

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<v Speaker 1>maybe you leave a book of jokes for kids on

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<v Speaker 1>the coffee table. Even for adult jokes pitched as being

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<v Speaker 1>for kids can be great because they tend to be

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<v Speaker 1>sunnier than humor pitched for adults. Reading jokes out loud

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<v Speaker 1>can add levity to the evening. You could leave out

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<v Speaker 1>a photo album and inevitably someone will start flipping through

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<v Speaker 1>the pages and recalling memories that you hadn't thought about

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<v Speaker 1>for years. If your family is musical, set out a

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<v Speaker 1>guitar or a ukulele, or put sheet music on the

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<v Speaker 1>piano for songs people might enjoy singing along to, like

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<v Speaker 1>show tunes, Disney songs, or around the holidays Christmas carols.

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<v Speaker 1>Or maybe you will find yourself walking through the house

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<v Speaker 1>tidying and feel the pull to sit down at the

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<v Speaker 1>piano and play for a while. That is a much

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<v Speaker 1>more satisfying way to spend your golden hours than housework.

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<v Speaker 1>If you want your evenings to be more meaningful, you

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<v Speaker 1>don't have to directly ask or encourage your partner, kids,

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<v Speaker 1>or roommates to do something besides screens. You don't have

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<v Speaker 1>to put better evenings on the list. As one more

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<v Speaker 1>self improvement goal you want to pursue, you can simply

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<v Speaker 1>plant an invitation with an object you leave out and

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<v Speaker 1>let the activity unfold. In the meantime, this is Laura.

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<v Speaker 1>Thanks for listening, and here's to making the most of

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<v Speaker 1>our time. Thanks for listening to Before Breakfast. If you've

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<v Speaker 1>got questions, ideas, or feedback, you can reach me at

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<v Speaker 1>Laura at Laura vandercam dot com. Before Breakfast is a

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<v Speaker 1>production of iHeartMedia. For more podcasts from iHeartMedia, please visit

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<v Speaker 1>the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to

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<v Speaker 1>your favorite shows.