WEBVTT - Second Cup: This is it

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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 that this is it. You are not racing

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<v Speaker 1>to a destination. You are living your life. So rather

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<v Speaker 1>than getting too caught up in the next thing's logistics,

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<v Speaker 1>be present and enjoy things when you possibly can. Today's

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<v Speaker 1>tip comes from cookbook author Jenny Rosenstratch, who blogs at Dinner,

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<v Speaker 1>a Love Story and Cup of Joe. One of her cookbooks,

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<v Speaker 1>How to Celebrate Everything, offers recipes for holidays, birthdays, family rituals,

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<v Speaker 1>and family dinner. In a blog post explaining why she

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<v Speaker 1>wrote the book, she describes real the importance of noticing

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<v Speaker 1>everyday life when everything seems to be going by so fast.

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<v Speaker 1>This is not a race to the finish line, she realized,

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<v Speaker 1>this is it. I get that it is so easy

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<v Speaker 1>to get caught up in the busyness of all the

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<v Speaker 1>stuff we need to do for our families that we

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<v Speaker 1>sometimes forget to enjoy ourselves and enjoy them. It is

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<v Speaker 1>truly lovely to make a flawless dinner for your best

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<v Speaker 1>friend's birthday, or to decorate a Christmas tree that looks

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<v Speaker 1>like it came out of a magazine. But sometimes in

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<v Speaker 1>the process we get distracted from the people and get

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<v Speaker 1>consumed by the projects. If you ever feel that way,

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<v Speaker 1>then maybe you can try repeating these words. This is

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<v Speaker 1>not a race, this is it, or simply this is it.

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<v Speaker 1>The party is not so much about the intricate decor

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<v Speaker 1>as it is about bringing people together and enjoying the

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<v Speaker 1>experience of having them there. Holiday events and all their

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<v Speaker 1>logistics are not about planning them and then crossing them

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<v Speaker 1>off a list. It's ideally about enjoying them and creating memories. Now,

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<v Speaker 1>I do want to acknowledge that I am not downplaying

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<v Speaker 1>the importance of logistics. Someone does have to do the

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<v Speaker 1>work of planning and figuring out the details. A party

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<v Speaker 1>may be about bringing people together, but folks are going

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<v Speaker 1>to be mad if there's no food, and they will

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<v Speaker 1>be annoyed if there is nowhere to sit. My kids

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<v Speaker 1>got to do a lot of wonderful things over the holidays,

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<v Speaker 1>from seeing shows and lights and trains to travel. None

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<v Speaker 1>of that was magic. It happened because I did the

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<v Speaker 1>work to make it happen. And sometimes it is a

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<v Speaker 1>wee bit stressful to make everything happen. I do not

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<v Speaker 1>react well if someone would then tell me, oh, logistics

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<v Speaker 1>don't matter, just be present and focus on the magic.

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<v Speaker 1>No that said, during each event, I did try to

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<v Speaker 1>notice and see the highlights, the kids laughing as they

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<v Speaker 1>ran through a Christmas light tunnel, or my little guy

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<v Speaker 1>sitting on Santa's lap for the first time. I made

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<v Speaker 1>sure to build in things that I enjoyed too, like

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<v Speaker 1>a solo night at a botanical garden decked out for

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<v Speaker 1>the holidays and singing the Messiah choruses. I made sure

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<v Speaker 1>to notice and savor my favorite part of The Nutcracker,

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<v Speaker 1>when the snowflakes dance at the end of.

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<v Speaker 2>The first act, because, after all, this is it, this

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<v Speaker 2>is life.

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<v Speaker 1>I know many people listening to this podcast do a

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<v Speaker 1>lot of work for their families, their communities, and their

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<v Speaker 1>employees to make wonderful things happen. From the exciting birthday

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<v Speaker 1>party to the retreat where you got those breakthrough ideas.

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<v Speaker 1>None of it is magic. But as we figure out

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<v Speaker 1>all the logistical steps of these processes, maybe we can

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<v Speaker 1>add as a last step to notice and enjoy experience

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<v Speaker 1>the fun of a new employee being folded into a community.

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<v Speaker 1>See the kid connect with a new friend who came

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<v Speaker 1>to the party. It is not a race to get

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<v Speaker 1>through these things. This is it, so best to experience

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<v Speaker 1>it as much as possible. 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. Hey, everybody, I'd love to hear from you.

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<v Speaker 1>You can send me your tips, your question or anything else.

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<v Speaker 1>Just connect with me on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram at

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<v Speaker 1>Before Breakfast Pod. That's b E the number four then

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<v Speaker 1>breakfast Pod. You can also shoot me an email at

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<v Speaker 1>Before Breakfast Podcasts at iHeartMedia dot com. That before Breakfast

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<v Speaker 1>is spelled out with all the letters. Thanks so much,

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<v Speaker 1>should I look forward to staying in touch. Before Breakfast

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<v Speaker 1>is a production of iHeartRadio. For more podcasts from iHeartRadio,

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