1 00:00:03,480 --> 00:00:09,400 Speaker 1: Welcome to Before Breakfast, a production of iHeartRadio. Good Morning. 2 00:00:10,760 --> 00:00:16,840 Speaker 1: This is Laura. Welcome to the Before Breakfast podcast. Today's 3 00:00:16,880 --> 00:00:22,280 Speaker 1: tip is that this is it. You are not racing 4 00:00:22,400 --> 00:00:27,360 Speaker 1: to a destination. You are living your life. So rather 5 00:00:27,400 --> 00:00:30,160 Speaker 1: than getting too caught up in the next thing's logistics, 6 00:00:31,080 --> 00:00:38,080 Speaker 1: be present and enjoy things when you possibly can. Today's 7 00:00:38,080 --> 00:00:42,040 Speaker 1: tip comes from cookbook author Jenny Rosenstratch, who blogs at Dinner, 8 00:00:42,240 --> 00:00:47,120 Speaker 1: a Love Story and Cup of Joe. One of her cookbooks, 9 00:00:47,159 --> 00:00:52,879 Speaker 1: How to Celebrate Everything, offers recipes for holidays, birthdays, family rituals, 10 00:00:52,920 --> 00:00:57,160 Speaker 1: and family dinner. In a blog post explaining why she 11 00:00:57,240 --> 00:01:01,959 Speaker 1: wrote the book, she describes real the importance of noticing 12 00:01:02,080 --> 00:01:06,920 Speaker 1: everyday life when everything seems to be going by so fast. 13 00:01:07,800 --> 00:01:10,920 Speaker 1: This is not a race to the finish line, she realized, 14 00:01:12,120 --> 00:01:18,000 Speaker 1: this is it. I get that it is so easy 15 00:01:18,040 --> 00:01:20,080 Speaker 1: to get caught up in the busyness of all the 16 00:01:20,120 --> 00:01:23,039 Speaker 1: stuff we need to do for our families that we 17 00:01:23,120 --> 00:01:27,760 Speaker 1: sometimes forget to enjoy ourselves and enjoy them. It is 18 00:01:27,840 --> 00:01:30,720 Speaker 1: truly lovely to make a flawless dinner for your best 19 00:01:30,720 --> 00:01:35,200 Speaker 1: friend's birthday, or to decorate a Christmas tree that looks 20 00:01:35,240 --> 00:01:38,959 Speaker 1: like it came out of a magazine. But sometimes in 21 00:01:39,000 --> 00:01:42,600 Speaker 1: the process we get distracted from the people and get 22 00:01:42,640 --> 00:01:46,759 Speaker 1: consumed by the projects. If you ever feel that way, 23 00:01:46,800 --> 00:01:50,480 Speaker 1: then maybe you can try repeating these words. This is 24 00:01:50,560 --> 00:01:55,760 Speaker 1: not a race, this is it, or simply this is it. 25 00:01:57,200 --> 00:01:59,800 Speaker 1: The party is not so much about the intricate decor 26 00:02:00,040 --> 00:02:03,240 Speaker 1: as it is about bringing people together and enjoying the 27 00:02:03,280 --> 00:02:07,200 Speaker 1: experience of having them there. Holiday events and all their 28 00:02:07,240 --> 00:02:09,880 Speaker 1: logistics are not about planning them and then crossing them 29 00:02:09,880 --> 00:02:16,560 Speaker 1: off a list. It's ideally about enjoying them and creating memories. Now, 30 00:02:16,639 --> 00:02:19,880 Speaker 1: I do want to acknowledge that I am not downplaying 31 00:02:19,919 --> 00:02:24,960 Speaker 1: the importance of logistics. Someone does have to do the 32 00:02:25,000 --> 00:02:29,800 Speaker 1: work of planning and figuring out the details. A party 33 00:02:29,840 --> 00:02:33,640 Speaker 1: may be about bringing people together, but folks are going 34 00:02:33,680 --> 00:02:36,680 Speaker 1: to be mad if there's no food, and they will 35 00:02:36,720 --> 00:02:40,760 Speaker 1: be annoyed if there is nowhere to sit. My kids 36 00:02:40,800 --> 00:02:43,560 Speaker 1: got to do a lot of wonderful things over the holidays, 37 00:02:43,560 --> 00:02:48,040 Speaker 1: from seeing shows and lights and trains to travel. None 38 00:02:48,080 --> 00:02:52,080 Speaker 1: of that was magic. It happened because I did the 39 00:02:52,120 --> 00:02:55,680 Speaker 1: work to make it happen. And sometimes it is a 40 00:02:55,680 --> 00:03:00,360 Speaker 1: wee bit stressful to make everything happen. I do not 41 00:03:00,440 --> 00:03:03,280 Speaker 1: react well if someone would then tell me, oh, logistics 42 00:03:03,280 --> 00:03:06,240 Speaker 1: don't matter, just be present and focus on the magic. 43 00:03:07,480 --> 00:03:12,640 Speaker 1: No that said, during each event, I did try to 44 00:03:12,800 --> 00:03:16,120 Speaker 1: notice and see the highlights, the kids laughing as they 45 00:03:16,200 --> 00:03:19,200 Speaker 1: ran through a Christmas light tunnel, or my little guy 46 00:03:19,240 --> 00:03:23,440 Speaker 1: sitting on Santa's lap for the first time. I made 47 00:03:23,440 --> 00:03:27,080 Speaker 1: sure to build in things that I enjoyed too, like 48 00:03:27,160 --> 00:03:29,760 Speaker 1: a solo night at a botanical garden decked out for 49 00:03:29,800 --> 00:03:35,280 Speaker 1: the holidays and singing the Messiah choruses. I made sure 50 00:03:35,320 --> 00:03:38,320 Speaker 1: to notice and savor my favorite part of The Nutcracker, 51 00:03:39,200 --> 00:03:41,040 Speaker 1: when the snowflakes dance at the end of. 52 00:03:41,040 --> 00:03:48,800 Speaker 2: The first act, because, after all, this is it, this 53 00:03:49,680 --> 00:03:51,320 Speaker 2: is life. 54 00:03:51,400 --> 00:03:53,960 Speaker 1: I know many people listening to this podcast do a 55 00:03:54,000 --> 00:03:57,600 Speaker 1: lot of work for their families, their communities, and their 56 00:03:57,640 --> 00:04:02,840 Speaker 1: employees to make wonderful things happen. From the exciting birthday 57 00:04:02,840 --> 00:04:05,680 Speaker 1: party to the retreat where you got those breakthrough ideas. 58 00:04:06,720 --> 00:04:10,720 Speaker 1: None of it is magic. But as we figure out 59 00:04:10,760 --> 00:04:14,760 Speaker 1: all the logistical steps of these processes, maybe we can 60 00:04:14,840 --> 00:04:21,240 Speaker 1: add as a last step to notice and enjoy experience 61 00:04:21,320 --> 00:04:24,560 Speaker 1: the fun of a new employee being folded into a community. 62 00:04:25,839 --> 00:04:28,279 Speaker 1: See the kid connect with a new friend who came 63 00:04:28,320 --> 00:04:31,880 Speaker 1: to the party. It is not a race to get 64 00:04:31,920 --> 00:04:37,280 Speaker 1: through these things. This is it, so best to experience 65 00:04:37,320 --> 00:04:43,680 Speaker 1: it as much as possible. In the meantime, this is Laura. 66 00:04:44,600 --> 00:04:49,120 Speaker 1: Thanks for listening and here's to making the most of 67 00:04:49,160 --> 00:04:58,360 Speaker 1: our time. Hey, everybody, I'd love to hear from you. 68 00:04:58,360 --> 00:05:01,279 Speaker 1: You can send me your tips, your question or anything else. 69 00:05:02,040 --> 00:05:05,600 Speaker 1: Just connect with me on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram at 70 00:05:05,640 --> 00:05:10,480 Speaker 1: Before Breakfast Pod. That's b E the number four then 71 00:05:10,560 --> 00:05:14,520 Speaker 1: breakfast Pod. You can also shoot me an email at 72 00:05:14,560 --> 00:05:19,240 Speaker 1: Before Breakfast Podcasts at iHeartMedia dot com. That before Breakfast 73 00:05:19,400 --> 00:05:21,960 Speaker 1: is spelled out with all the letters. Thanks so much, 74 00:05:21,960 --> 00:05:30,120 Speaker 1: should I look forward to staying in touch. Before Breakfast 75 00:05:30,200 --> 00:05:34,479 Speaker 1: is a production of iHeartRadio. For more podcasts from iHeartRadio, 76 00:05:34,720 --> 00:05:38,680 Speaker 1: visit the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen 77 00:05:38,720 --> 00:05:45,040 Speaker 1: to your favorite shows.