WEBVTT - Second Cup: Do you miss it

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<v Speaker 1>Welcome to Before Breakfast, a production of I Heart Radio.

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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 ask do I miss it? Before you

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<v Speaker 1>were placed broken or lost items. Some things are dearly missed,

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<v Speaker 1>but others aren't, and in the long run it can

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<v Speaker 1>be fine to live life without them. Long time Before

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<v Speaker 1>Breakfast listeners know that my family recently moved homes. Even

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<v Speaker 1>though our new house is just a few miles from

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<v Speaker 1>our old house, moving has been a complicated process, and

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<v Speaker 1>despite careful packing and transport by us and our movers

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<v Speaker 1>about four months post move, there are still some items

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<v Speaker 1>that haven't turned up. I have played the piano since

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<v Speaker 1>I was eight years old, more or less, and how

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<v Speaker 1>far the only music I've managed to find is a

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<v Speaker 1>book of works by Debucy and another by Bach. Who

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<v Speaker 1>knows where the three plus decades of other music has

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<v Speaker 1>gone to. Fortunately, I realized a few days before a

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<v Speaker 1>family trip that I hadn't found all these suitcases yet

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<v Speaker 1>one of my son's plans to go on an overnight

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<v Speaker 1>backpacking trip, and sure enough, the tent is in some

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<v Speaker 1>unknown box somewhere in the still packed storage area. These

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<v Speaker 1>are all things I have realized are gone. But there

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<v Speaker 1>are a great many other things that are still in

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<v Speaker 1>their boxes that I haven't thought about at all. Boodles

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<v Speaker 1>of books, kid clothes that don't fit anyone at the moment,

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<v Speaker 1>many of my clothes and purses. It turns out I

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<v Speaker 1>will never be the sort of person who needs more

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<v Speaker 1>than one purse, or frankly much in the way of jewelry.

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<v Speaker 1>I have some pieces I pull out for special occasions,

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<v Speaker 1>and I guess in four months there have not been

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<v Speaker 1>any special occasions. Go figure some of this stuff I

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<v Speaker 1>will eventually find and use. We wound up ordering a

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<v Speaker 1>new tent so the kid could go on his backpacking trip.

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<v Speaker 1>But sometimes the fact that we don't miss something is

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<v Speaker 1>a good sign that we don't need it. If you

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<v Speaker 1>don't miss it, then it wasn't occupying a huge space

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<v Speaker 1>in your life, and you can function without it even

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<v Speaker 1>if you haven't moved. Whenever something is lost or broken,

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<v Speaker 1>you can reflect on this possibility. Some research suggests that

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<v Speaker 1>subtraction is harder than addition for our youngest math students

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<v Speaker 1>and for problem solving. Throughout our lives, we keep adding

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<v Speaker 1>things to our homes and task lists and schedules in

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<v Speaker 1>an effort to make our lives better and neglect to

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<v Speaker 1>consider how subtracting something might be preferable. When something gets

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<v Speaker 1>lost or broken, the universe has done the subtraction for you,

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<v Speaker 1>so instead of replacing the item right away, treat the

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<v Speaker 1>loss as an occasion to consider whether you are better

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<v Speaker 1>off after the subtraction without the item. Don't take it

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<v Speaker 1>for granted that you need to add back everything that

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<v Speaker 1>breaks or gets lost. See whether you miss the item,

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<v Speaker 1>and make a conscious decision about whether or not to

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<v Speaker 1>replace it. In the meantime, This is Laura. Thanks for listening,

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<v Speaker 1>and here's to making the most of our time. Hey everybody,

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<v Speaker 1>I'd love to hear from it. You can send me

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<v Speaker 1>your tips, your questions, or anything else. Just connect with

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<v Speaker 1>me on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram at Before Breakfast pod

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<v Speaker 1>that's b the number four, then breakfast p o D.

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<v Speaker 1>You can also shoot me an email at Before Breakfast

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<v Speaker 1>podcast at i heeartmedia dot com. That Before Breakfast is

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

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<v Speaker 1>look forward to staying in touch. Before Breakfast is a

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<v Speaker 1>production of I heart Radio. For more podcasts from I

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<v Speaker 1>heart Radio, visit the i heart Radio app Apple podcasts,

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<v Speaker 1>or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.