1 00:00:03,400 --> 00:00:06,680 Speaker 1: Welcome to Before Breakfast, a production of I Heart Radio. 2 00:00:08,920 --> 00:00:14,880 Speaker 1: Good Morning, This is Laura. Welcome to the Before Breakfast podcast. 3 00:00:15,960 --> 00:00:20,760 Speaker 1: Today's tip is that life is mostly made up of memories. 4 00:00:21,760 --> 00:00:25,840 Speaker 1: We can anticipate the future, but that is largely unknown. 5 00:00:26,840 --> 00:00:33,640 Speaker 1: The present is fleeting memories we truly have. This ratio 6 00:00:33,760 --> 00:00:36,400 Speaker 1: means that it might be worth organizing life to pay 7 00:00:36,400 --> 00:00:39,960 Speaker 1: a bit more attention to memories than we might naturally 8 00:00:40,479 --> 00:00:44,839 Speaker 1: be inclined to do so. When you make your plans 9 00:00:44,880 --> 00:00:48,000 Speaker 1: for the day, or for a weekend, or even for 10 00:00:48,040 --> 00:00:51,400 Speaker 1: your year, my guess is that there are many criteria. 11 00:00:52,200 --> 00:00:55,120 Speaker 1: You figure out what needs to get done, You ask 12 00:00:55,200 --> 00:00:59,480 Speaker 1: what other people are doing. You consider what feels relaxing 13 00:01:00,200 --> 00:01:04,160 Speaker 1: or what is easiest at the moment. For most of us, 14 00:01:04,240 --> 00:01:07,319 Speaker 1: what makes the most or the best memories is not 15 00:01:07,520 --> 00:01:11,480 Speaker 1: going to be the primary consideration, And I'm not saying 16 00:01:11,520 --> 00:01:14,920 Speaker 1: that it should be, but I think it should be 17 00:01:15,000 --> 00:01:20,000 Speaker 1: a bigger consideration than it often is. That is because 18 00:01:20,040 --> 00:01:24,960 Speaker 1: life is made up of memories. The future is uncertain. 19 00:01:25,720 --> 00:01:28,120 Speaker 1: You can barely think about the present before it is gone. 20 00:01:29,360 --> 00:01:33,440 Speaker 1: Memories based on a past that actually happened are the 21 00:01:33,520 --> 00:01:38,319 Speaker 1: most known part of our life. Stories when we plan 22 00:01:38,480 --> 00:01:42,560 Speaker 1: our lives to optimize memories. We create a story we 23 00:01:42,600 --> 00:01:45,920 Speaker 1: will be able to hold onto, one that can make 24 00:01:45,920 --> 00:01:49,560 Speaker 1: our lives feel more like they happened, then that they 25 00:01:49,560 --> 00:01:56,600 Speaker 1: were completely forgettable. Time feel stretched out. We don't say 26 00:01:57,000 --> 00:02:01,000 Speaker 1: where did the time go when we remember where the 27 00:02:01,040 --> 00:02:05,919 Speaker 1: time went. What this means in practice is nudging ourselves 28 00:02:05,920 --> 00:02:09,680 Speaker 1: to do things that create more memories. These may not 29 00:02:09,960 --> 00:02:13,200 Speaker 1: always be the easiest or most comfortable things to do 30 00:02:13,280 --> 00:02:16,519 Speaker 1: in the moment, but if we realize that life is 31 00:02:16,600 --> 00:02:23,239 Speaker 1: mostly memory, we might be more motivated. For instance, traveling 32 00:02:23,320 --> 00:02:26,800 Speaker 1: can be fun, but to be honest, big chunks of 33 00:02:26,840 --> 00:02:32,880 Speaker 1: it can be a bother. Plane flights are uncomfortable, so 34 00:02:33,080 --> 00:02:37,840 Speaker 1: is sleeping in new beds. Adjusting to uncertainty can be challenging, 35 00:02:38,840 --> 00:02:42,000 Speaker 1: as as being apart from familiar routines and foods and 36 00:02:42,080 --> 00:02:45,520 Speaker 1: other things. But when you think of your memories of 37 00:02:45,600 --> 00:02:49,359 Speaker 1: any given year, I would guess that any major trips 38 00:02:49,440 --> 00:02:52,120 Speaker 1: you took are one of the key ways that you 39 00:02:52,240 --> 00:02:57,000 Speaker 1: define the year. Oh, yes, that's the summer when we 40 00:02:57,040 --> 00:03:01,200 Speaker 1: went to France. My mother in law recently shared some 41 00:03:01,280 --> 00:03:03,920 Speaker 1: of her memories with the family in an album she 42 00:03:04,000 --> 00:03:07,880 Speaker 1: created for all of us. Many of her recollections had 43 00:03:07,919 --> 00:03:11,440 Speaker 1: to do with her travels. Certainly, you will have more 44 00:03:11,560 --> 00:03:15,480 Speaker 1: memories of, say, a week spent on a safari, than 45 00:03:15,560 --> 00:03:19,160 Speaker 1: a week spent in your apartment. Now, you can't spend 46 00:03:19,520 --> 00:03:22,680 Speaker 1: all your weeks on safari, but if you have the 47 00:03:22,720 --> 00:03:25,239 Speaker 1: opportunity to take a trip from time to time, it 48 00:03:25,360 --> 00:03:28,720 Speaker 1: is probably going to be a better memory than not traveling, 49 00:03:29,600 --> 00:03:34,720 Speaker 1: even if not traveling is more comfortable. I have tracked 50 00:03:34,760 --> 00:03:37,680 Speaker 1: my time for over seven years now, and I have 51 00:03:37,720 --> 00:03:41,240 Speaker 1: recently begun studying my time logs from six years ago, 52 00:03:41,800 --> 00:03:43,960 Speaker 1: when the date cycle was the same as it was 53 00:03:44,120 --> 00:03:48,200 Speaker 1: for this past year. December being a Monday in both 54 00:03:51,920 --> 00:03:55,480 Speaker 1: the normal days of work and kidcare and costco runs 55 00:03:55,920 --> 00:03:59,920 Speaker 1: are hard to place. But when I see something unusual 56 00:04:00,160 --> 00:04:04,800 Speaker 1: on my log, something a little adventurous, I can conjure 57 00:04:04,880 --> 00:04:11,280 Speaker 1: up those memories pretty quickly. Memories make past times feel 58 00:04:11,280 --> 00:04:16,560 Speaker 1: more rich and full. Now. Of course, there is nothing 59 00:04:16,680 --> 00:04:21,159 Speaker 1: wrong with routines and the normal rhythm of work and 60 00:04:21,320 --> 00:04:25,640 Speaker 1: kid care and costco runs, but even any given week 61 00:04:25,800 --> 00:04:28,720 Speaker 1: can be made a little different by doing something a 62 00:04:28,760 --> 00:04:33,880 Speaker 1: little different. In the deepest days of COVID lockdowns, one 63 00:04:33,920 --> 00:04:36,679 Speaker 1: family I know of made a giant game of shoots 64 00:04:36,720 --> 00:04:41,719 Speaker 1: and ladders with chalk on their driveway. Life is a memory, 65 00:04:42,600 --> 00:04:47,680 Speaker 1: and in normal life that became one. In any case, 66 00:04:47,800 --> 00:04:50,600 Speaker 1: as you plan the next week or the next few weeks, 67 00:04:51,279 --> 00:04:54,279 Speaker 1: try taking into account what memories you would like to 68 00:04:54,320 --> 00:04:58,760 Speaker 1: have of this time. Memories are not just a passive 69 00:04:58,800 --> 00:05:03,440 Speaker 1: result of life happening. They are something we can consciously 70 00:05:03,600 --> 00:05:08,640 Speaker 1: choose to cultivate. Yes, we can have memories from things 71 00:05:08,640 --> 00:05:12,680 Speaker 1: that are just spontaneously occurring, but they are also the 72 00:05:12,720 --> 00:05:19,640 Speaker 1: result of our planning them in and choosing to do interesting, adventurous, novel, 73 00:05:20,360 --> 00:05:27,400 Speaker 1: intense things. Maybe not every day, but not never either. 74 00:05:28,800 --> 00:05:32,480 Speaker 1: When we take memory into account with our plans, we 75 00:05:32,560 --> 00:05:39,720 Speaker 1: simply do these things more often. In the meantime, This 76 00:05:39,800 --> 00:05:44,359 Speaker 1: is Laura. Thanks for listening, and here's to making the 77 00:05:44,440 --> 00:05:54,360 Speaker 1: most of our time. Hey, everybody, I'd love to hear 78 00:05:54,400 --> 00:05:57,200 Speaker 1: from it. You can send me your tips, your questions, 79 00:05:57,279 --> 00:06:01,040 Speaker 1: or anything else. Just connect with me on Twitter, Facebook 80 00:06:01,120 --> 00:06:05,920 Speaker 1: and Instagram at Before Breakfast Pod that's b E the 81 00:06:06,040 --> 00:06:10,240 Speaker 1: number four then breakfast p o D. You can also 82 00:06:10,279 --> 00:06:13,680 Speaker 1: shoot me an email at Before Breakfast Podcast at i 83 00:06:13,760 --> 00:06:16,760 Speaker 1: heeart media dot com. That before Breakfast is spelled out 84 00:06:16,800 --> 00:06:19,520 Speaker 1: with all the letters. Thanks so much, I look forward 85 00:06:19,560 --> 00:06:27,760 Speaker 1: to staying in touch. Before Breakfast is a production of 86 00:06:27,800 --> 00:06:31,119 Speaker 1: I heart Radio. For more podcasts from my heart Radio, 87 00:06:31,600 --> 00:06:35,120 Speaker 1: visit the i heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever 88 00:06:35,160 --> 00:06:36,520 Speaker 1: you listen to your favorite shows.