1 00:00:03,440 --> 00:00:06,680 Speaker 1: Welcome to Before Breakfast, a production of I Heart Radio. 2 00:00:09,119 --> 00:00:14,040 Speaker 1: Good Morning. This is Laura, Welcome to the Before Breakfast podcast. 3 00:00:14,640 --> 00:00:17,960 Speaker 1: Today's tip is to make a trip to your local library. 4 00:00:18,840 --> 00:00:21,360 Speaker 1: It may have been a while since you've gone, but 5 00:00:21,440 --> 00:00:24,919 Speaker 1: this is one of the cheapest and easiest ways to 6 00:00:25,000 --> 00:00:30,680 Speaker 1: bring some serendipity into your life. Libraries are great resources, 7 00:00:30,720 --> 00:00:33,880 Speaker 1: but many people aren't in the habit of using them, 8 00:00:33,920 --> 00:00:37,599 Speaker 1: even people who were probably stopped when many libraries closed 9 00:00:37,800 --> 00:00:41,800 Speaker 1: during the worst early days of the COVID pandemic. These days, 10 00:00:42,080 --> 00:00:45,800 Speaker 1: places are slowly opening back up, so it might be 11 00:00:45,840 --> 00:00:49,199 Speaker 1: worth checking your branches hours and putting a note on 12 00:00:49,240 --> 00:00:54,440 Speaker 1: your calendar to stop by. Why well, when people are 13 00:00:54,520 --> 00:00:58,200 Speaker 1: out and about less and seeing fewer people, as is 14 00:00:58,200 --> 00:01:00,959 Speaker 1: the case for many of us these days, it can 15 00:01:00,960 --> 00:01:04,800 Speaker 1: be harder to bring new information into our lives. We 16 00:01:04,880 --> 00:01:08,039 Speaker 1: go to the same websites that we always do. The 17 00:01:08,120 --> 00:01:11,080 Speaker 1: algorithms of social media show us a lot of the 18 00:01:11,120 --> 00:01:15,120 Speaker 1: same stuff that we've liked before. A visit to the 19 00:01:15,200 --> 00:01:19,360 Speaker 1: library can change that quickly. I walked to my local 20 00:01:19,400 --> 00:01:22,080 Speaker 1: branch the other day and noticed all sorts of flyers 21 00:01:22,080 --> 00:01:25,319 Speaker 1: on the bulletin board. These brought a vast number of 22 00:01:25,400 --> 00:01:29,399 Speaker 1: virtual events to my attention, and advertised local exhibits too, 23 00:01:30,400 --> 00:01:33,000 Speaker 1: Whether I go to any of these or not, it 24 00:01:33,080 --> 00:01:36,319 Speaker 1: was interesting to think about horticulture and art and music 25 00:01:36,360 --> 00:01:40,319 Speaker 1: and tutoring programs for a few minutes. Inside the library, 26 00:01:40,360 --> 00:01:43,280 Speaker 1: the librarians had arranged new releases on the front wall. 27 00:01:44,040 --> 00:01:46,120 Speaker 1: It wasn't so much that I was interested in any 28 00:01:46,160 --> 00:01:49,320 Speaker 1: titles in particular, but I noticed that I was immediately 29 00:01:49,400 --> 00:01:52,280 Speaker 1: drawn to titles that I had seen before for some reason, 30 00:01:52,840 --> 00:01:55,240 Speaker 1: usually that I had a review copy or a friend 31 00:01:55,240 --> 00:01:59,760 Speaker 1: had written about the book. I realized that familiarity breeds affection, 32 00:02:00,520 --> 00:02:03,200 Speaker 1: a point that I wound up using as a newsletter topic. 33 00:02:03,880 --> 00:02:06,040 Speaker 1: So here I was barely past the front door, and 34 00:02:06,080 --> 00:02:10,560 Speaker 1: I already had a new idea. Then perusing the stacks 35 00:02:10,600 --> 00:02:13,800 Speaker 1: can trigger all sorts of insights too. I wound up 36 00:02:13,840 --> 00:02:16,240 Speaker 1: grabbing a number of titles that struck my fancy for 37 00:02:16,280 --> 00:02:19,160 Speaker 1: some reason or another. In the coming days, I'll be 38 00:02:19,240 --> 00:02:23,760 Speaker 1: learning about distant swimming, nineteen forties baseball, and some random 39 00:02:23,800 --> 00:02:28,480 Speaker 1: aspects of interior decorating. Well. I've recommended buying more books 40 00:02:28,480 --> 00:02:31,480 Speaker 1: in a previous episode of Before Breakfast. The fact that 41 00:02:31,520 --> 00:02:35,680 Speaker 1: the library books are free. Makes it even easier to 42 00:02:35,760 --> 00:02:38,360 Speaker 1: take a chance on stuff that I probably wouldn't shell 43 00:02:38,400 --> 00:02:42,280 Speaker 1: out twenty dollars for If it's useless, will oh well. 44 00:02:43,040 --> 00:02:45,119 Speaker 1: All I'm really out is a few minutes to read 45 00:02:45,120 --> 00:02:47,880 Speaker 1: a few pages and say nope, not for me, and 46 00:02:47,960 --> 00:02:51,320 Speaker 1: the time to return the books. Since most libraries have 47 00:02:51,400 --> 00:02:54,680 Speaker 1: almost improbable limits on how many items you can check 48 00:02:54,680 --> 00:02:56,600 Speaker 1: out at any given time. I mean we're talking like 49 00:02:56,760 --> 00:03:01,000 Speaker 1: a hundred titles here, you can really relish the randomness. 50 00:03:02,080 --> 00:03:06,400 Speaker 1: And this randomness is altogether a good thing. As more 51 00:03:06,440 --> 00:03:09,880 Speaker 1: of us are working from home and generally venturing out less, 52 00:03:10,400 --> 00:03:15,040 Speaker 1: we have far less randomness in our lives. So much 53 00:03:15,040 --> 00:03:17,560 Speaker 1: of the information that finds us in the modern world 54 00:03:17,639 --> 00:03:22,640 Speaker 1: is already perfectly tailored to our known interests. Algorithms know 55 00:03:22,680 --> 00:03:25,880 Speaker 1: what headlines were most likely to click on. I get 56 00:03:25,919 --> 00:03:28,640 Speaker 1: emails from design sights with the sorts of kitchens and 57 00:03:28,720 --> 00:03:32,480 Speaker 1: bathrooms that I've already looked at. We can work closely 58 00:03:32,480 --> 00:03:35,120 Speaker 1: with our existing colleagues when working from home, but we're 59 00:03:35,160 --> 00:03:39,760 Speaker 1: not meeting new people at conferences or networking events. It 60 00:03:39,840 --> 00:03:44,000 Speaker 1: becomes much of the same old, same old. A quick 61 00:03:44,040 --> 00:03:47,800 Speaker 1: step by the library can change this all up. It's 62 00:03:47,880 --> 00:03:50,800 Speaker 1: free and probably doesn't need to take more than half 63 00:03:50,800 --> 00:03:54,320 Speaker 1: an hour. My guess is that that's as good a 64 00:03:54,440 --> 00:03:58,000 Speaker 1: use of a lunch hour as anything else. We could 65 00:03:58,080 --> 00:04:01,480 Speaker 1: all use some more ideas and some more randomness in 66 00:04:01,520 --> 00:04:04,760 Speaker 1: our lives, or if nothing else, we could get a 67 00:04:04,760 --> 00:04:08,320 Speaker 1: few good stories too, So why not stop by the 68 00:04:08,360 --> 00:04:11,840 Speaker 1: library this week. I'm pretty sure that you will find 69 00:04:11,840 --> 00:04:17,799 Speaker 1: it time well spent. In the meantime. This is Laura. 70 00:04:18,560 --> 00:04:21,960 Speaker 1: Thanks for listening, and here's to making the most of 71 00:04:22,000 --> 00:04:31,760 Speaker 1: our time. Hey, everybody, I'd love to hear from you. 72 00:04:31,760 --> 00:04:34,679 Speaker 1: You can send me your tips, your questions, or anything else. 73 00:04:35,400 --> 00:04:39,000 Speaker 1: Just connect with me on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram at 74 00:04:39,000 --> 00:04:43,880 Speaker 1: Before Breakfast Pod. That's b E the number four, then 75 00:04:43,960 --> 00:04:47,360 Speaker 1: Breakfast p o D. You can also shoot me an 76 00:04:47,360 --> 00:04:51,159 Speaker 1: email at Before Breakfast podcast at i heeart media dot 77 00:04:51,200 --> 00:04:54,120 Speaker 1: com that Before Breakfast is spelled out with all the letters. 78 00:04:54,720 --> 00:04:56,800 Speaker 1: Thanks so much, I look forward to staying in touch. 79 00:05:02,640 --> 00:05:05,720 Speaker 1: Before Breakfast is a production of I heart Radio. For 80 00:05:05,839 --> 00:05:08,880 Speaker 1: more podcasts from I heart Radio, visit the i heart 81 00:05:08,960 --> 00:05:12,320 Speaker 1: Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to your 82 00:05:12,320 --> 00:05:13,040 Speaker 1: favorite shows.