Speaker 1: Welcome to Before Breakfast, a production of I Heart Radio.
Speaker 1: Good Morning, This is Laura. Welcome to the Before Breakfast podcast.
Speaker 1: Today's tip is that you can keep up with friends
Speaker 1: of convenience and circumstance, even when those circumstances change. Through
Speaker 1: our lives, we've all gotten to know people just because
Speaker 1: it was really, really convenient to talk to them. In college,
Speaker 1: maybe you had the people you sat with in chemistry
Speaker 1: or Spanish, or who were assigned to the same bathroom
Speaker 1: in your dorm. In adult life, we likewise wind up
Speaker 1: with acquaintances we didn't necessarily seek out, but who we
Speaker 1: become friendly with. Nonetheless, the woman on the mat next
Speaker 1: to you and yoga class, the work colleague who's cupicle
Speaker 1: you pass by on the way to the kitchen. The
Speaker 1: guy who gets on the train with you and gets
Speaker 1: off at the same stop. You can wind up seeing
Speaker 1: these people several times a week, and so they become
Speaker 1: important to us, and these relationships give us a sense
Speaker 1: of connection, rooted nous and community, even though our interactions
Speaker 1: are limited to a particular experience. You aren't necessarily going
Speaker 1: to ask the train guy about his deepest hopes and fears,
Speaker 1: but he's got a funny story to tell about what
Speaker 1: happened on his last vacation. Then life changes. Suddenly you
Speaker 1: don't see these people five times a week. When that happens,
Speaker 1: these relationships have to change too, or you risk losing them.
Speaker 1: You've probably had friends of circumstance with him, you've lost
Speaker 1: touch with after you change jobs, or when your kids
Speaker 1: change schools. And of course all of us have had
Speaker 1: our lives disrupted by COVID and suddenly you don't see
Speaker 1: the woman on the yoga mat, the colleague by the kitchen,
Speaker 1: or the guy from your train anymore. It's natural that
Speaker 1: friendships wax and wayne, but a change in circumstance doesn't
Speaker 1: have to mean the end of a friendship. There are
Speaker 1: several ways we can maintain these casual ties even when
Speaker 1: they are no longer so automatic. To begin with, it's
Speaker 1: helpful to have contact information for your daily life friends.
Speaker 1: You don't want to have to rely on running into
Speaker 1: them to be able to communicate, so offer your contact information.
Speaker 1: One easy way to do this is that they may
Speaker 1: share something interesting with you. Hey, can you text me
Speaker 1: the name of that restaurant you liked? Can you email
Speaker 1: me that article you mentioned? Having each other's contact information
Speaker 1: means you are equipped to maintain your relationship in new
Speaker 1: ways if daily life changes. Here are some simple ideas
Speaker 1: for doing just that. First, you can send holiday cards.
Speaker 1: This is a pretty all inclusive way to keep in
Speaker 1: touch with everyone you've gathered in your life. I believe
Speaker 1: in sending personal outs whenever possible. It does not take
Speaker 1: much time. Even if it did. People are a good
Speaker 1: use of time. If you are going to bother to
Speaker 1: send a card, you can take the extra two minutes
Speaker 1: to write something about life and your memories together. Christmas
Speaker 1: is obviously a popular option, but you could become the
Speaker 1: kind of person who sends Fourth of July cards whatever
Speaker 1: works for you. You You can write a quick text or
Speaker 1: email when something you see or do makes you think
Speaker 1: of a friend from a former phase of life. When
Speaker 1: you do an online workout video that your jim buddy
Speaker 1: told you about, text to let her know you liked it.
Speaker 1: When you host a Valentine's Day party for your son's class,
Speaker 1: text the parent you collaborated with on last year's Valentine's
Speaker 1: party with funny memories that you shared. Another simple and
Speaker 1: authentic way to reach out to contextual friends is by
Speaker 1: offering recommendations that you think they'd appreciate. If every Monday
Speaker 1: morning you and the person at the desk near yours
Speaker 1: used to tell each other about the restaurants you tried
Speaker 1: over the weekend, you can still let him know when
Speaker 1: you discover a new restaurant, even if you are no
Speaker 1: longer colleagues. Texting or email is easy, but you can
Speaker 1: also do something crazy like picking up the phone. When
Speaker 1: you are intentional about maintaining relationships with people whose daily
Speaker 1: lives used to intersect with yours, you may end up
Speaker 1: forming close friendships with them that transcend the context you
Speaker 1: used to share. But even if a deeper friendship doesn't develop,
Speaker 1: it's still good to have ties to former times in
Speaker 1: your life. And who knows when you might be able
Speaker 1: to help each other with random things. Life is long.
Speaker 1: Your grown child moves to Boston, and hey, train guy
Speaker 1: now lives in Boston and knows about an apartment that
Speaker 1: just came on the market. Lucky that you kept in
Speaker 1: touch in the meantime. This is Laura. Thanks for listening,
Speaker 1: and here's to making the most of our time. Hey, everybody,
Speaker 1: I'd love to hear from you. You can send me
Speaker 1: your tips your questions or anything else. Just connect with
Speaker 1: me on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram at Before Breakfast pod.
Speaker 1: That's B the number four, then Breakfast p o D.
Speaker 1: You can also shoot me an email at Before Breakfast
Speaker 1: podcast at i heeart media dot com that Before Breakfast
Speaker 1: is spelled out with all the letters. Thanks so much,
Speaker 1: I look forward to staying in touch. Before Breakfast is
Speaker 1: a production of I heart Radio. For more podcasts from
Speaker 1: my heart Radio, visit the i heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts,
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