1 00:00:03,000 --> 00:00:06,240 Speaker 1: Welcome to Before Breakfast, a production of I Heart Radio. 2 00:00:08,760 --> 00:00:14,080 Speaker 1: This is Laura, Welcome to the Before Breakfast podcast. Today's 3 00:00:14,120 --> 00:00:18,000 Speaker 1: tip is to ask do I miss it? Before you 4 00:00:18,040 --> 00:00:23,840 Speaker 1: were placed broken or lost items. Some things are dearly missed, 5 00:00:24,680 --> 00:00:28,200 Speaker 1: but others aren't, and in the long run it can 6 00:00:28,240 --> 00:00:34,000 Speaker 1: be fine to live life without them. Long time Before 7 00:00:34,040 --> 00:00:38,360 Speaker 1: Breakfast listeners know that my family recently moved homes. Even 8 00:00:38,360 --> 00:00:40,599 Speaker 1: though our new house is just a few miles from 9 00:00:40,600 --> 00:00:45,440 Speaker 1: our old house, moving has been a complicated process, and 10 00:00:45,520 --> 00:00:49,000 Speaker 1: despite careful packing and transport by us and our movers 11 00:00:49,680 --> 00:00:53,680 Speaker 1: about four months post move, there are still some items 12 00:00:53,680 --> 00:00:57,480 Speaker 1: that haven't turned up. I have played the piano since 13 00:00:57,520 --> 00:01:00,120 Speaker 1: I was eight years old, more or less, and how 14 00:01:00,120 --> 00:01:02,720 Speaker 1: far the only music I've managed to find is a 15 00:01:02,760 --> 00:01:06,720 Speaker 1: book of works by Debucy and another by Bach. Who 16 00:01:06,760 --> 00:01:09,520 Speaker 1: knows where the three plus decades of other music has 17 00:01:09,560 --> 00:01:13,840 Speaker 1: gone to. Fortunately, I realized a few days before a 18 00:01:13,880 --> 00:01:16,960 Speaker 1: family trip that I hadn't found all these suitcases yet 19 00:01:17,880 --> 00:01:19,960 Speaker 1: one of my son's plans to go on an overnight 20 00:01:20,000 --> 00:01:23,399 Speaker 1: backpacking trip, and sure enough, the tent is in some 21 00:01:23,560 --> 00:01:29,000 Speaker 1: unknown box somewhere in the still packed storage area. These 22 00:01:29,000 --> 00:01:32,360 Speaker 1: are all things I have realized are gone. But there 23 00:01:32,360 --> 00:01:34,880 Speaker 1: are a great many other things that are still in 24 00:01:34,880 --> 00:01:39,120 Speaker 1: their boxes that I haven't thought about at all. Boodles 25 00:01:39,160 --> 00:01:43,160 Speaker 1: of books, kid clothes that don't fit anyone at the moment, 26 00:01:44,080 --> 00:01:47,840 Speaker 1: many of my clothes and purses. It turns out I 27 00:01:47,840 --> 00:01:50,840 Speaker 1: will never be the sort of person who needs more 28 00:01:50,880 --> 00:01:56,160 Speaker 1: than one purse, or frankly much in the way of jewelry. 29 00:01:56,760 --> 00:01:59,360 Speaker 1: I have some pieces I pull out for special occasions, 30 00:01:59,360 --> 00:02:01,880 Speaker 1: and I guess in four months there have not been 31 00:02:02,320 --> 00:02:07,760 Speaker 1: any special occasions. Go figure some of this stuff I 32 00:02:07,800 --> 00:02:11,160 Speaker 1: will eventually find and use. We wound up ordering a 33 00:02:11,200 --> 00:02:14,120 Speaker 1: new tent so the kid could go on his backpacking trip. 34 00:02:15,000 --> 00:02:18,000 Speaker 1: But sometimes the fact that we don't miss something is 35 00:02:18,040 --> 00:02:21,200 Speaker 1: a good sign that we don't need it. If you 36 00:02:21,240 --> 00:02:24,799 Speaker 1: don't miss it, then it wasn't occupying a huge space 37 00:02:24,800 --> 00:02:28,480 Speaker 1: in your life, and you can function without it even 38 00:02:28,520 --> 00:02:32,600 Speaker 1: if you haven't moved. Whenever something is lost or broken, 39 00:02:33,360 --> 00:02:38,360 Speaker 1: you can reflect on this possibility. Some research suggests that 40 00:02:38,480 --> 00:02:43,480 Speaker 1: subtraction is harder than addition for our youngest math students 41 00:02:43,600 --> 00:02:47,760 Speaker 1: and for problem solving. Throughout our lives, we keep adding 42 00:02:47,840 --> 00:02:50,920 Speaker 1: things to our homes and task lists and schedules in 43 00:02:50,960 --> 00:02:54,160 Speaker 1: an effort to make our lives better and neglect to 44 00:02:54,160 --> 00:02:59,919 Speaker 1: consider how subtracting something might be preferable. When something gets 45 00:03:00,040 --> 00:03:04,639 Speaker 1: lost or broken, the universe has done the subtraction for you, 46 00:03:05,880 --> 00:03:09,120 Speaker 1: so instead of replacing the item right away, treat the 47 00:03:09,200 --> 00:03:11,840 Speaker 1: loss as an occasion to consider whether you are better 48 00:03:11,919 --> 00:03:16,520 Speaker 1: off after the subtraction without the item. Don't take it 49 00:03:16,600 --> 00:03:19,200 Speaker 1: for granted that you need to add back everything that 50 00:03:19,280 --> 00:03:23,720 Speaker 1: breaks or gets lost. See whether you miss the item, 51 00:03:23,760 --> 00:03:27,519 Speaker 1: and make a conscious decision about whether or not to 52 00:03:27,680 --> 00:03:34,280 Speaker 1: replace it. In the meantime, This is Laura. Thanks for listening, 53 00:03:35,240 --> 00:03:45,440 Speaker 1: and here's to making the most of our time. Hey everybody, 54 00:03:45,640 --> 00:03:47,760 Speaker 1: I'd love to hear from it. You can send me 55 00:03:47,800 --> 00:03:51,440 Speaker 1: your tips, your questions, or anything else. Just connect with 56 00:03:51,480 --> 00:03:55,840 Speaker 1: me on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram at Before Breakfast pod 57 00:03:56,560 --> 00:04:00,880 Speaker 1: that's b the number four, then breakfast p o D. 58 00:04:01,720 --> 00:04:04,600 Speaker 1: You can also shoot me an email at Before Breakfast 59 00:04:04,680 --> 00:04:08,240 Speaker 1: podcast at i heeartmedia dot com. That Before Breakfast is 60 00:04:08,280 --> 00:04:11,000 Speaker 1: spelled out with all the letters. Thanks so much, I 61 00:04:11,040 --> 00:04:19,159 Speaker 1: look forward to staying in touch. Before Breakfast is a 62 00:04:19,160 --> 00:04:22,400 Speaker 1: production of I heart Radio. For more podcasts from I 63 00:04:22,520 --> 00:04:26,240 Speaker 1: heart Radio, visit the i heart Radio app Apple podcasts, 64 00:04:26,600 --> 00:04:28,440 Speaker 1: or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.