1 00:00:03,400 --> 00:00:07,560 Speaker 1: Welcome to Before Breakfast, a production of I Heart Radio. 2 00:00:09,320 --> 00:00:14,760 Speaker 1: Good Morning. This is Laura. Welcome to the Before Breakfast podcast. 3 00:00:15,680 --> 00:00:18,160 Speaker 1: Today's tip is for when you are moving from one 4 00:00:18,239 --> 00:00:22,439 Speaker 1: season of life to another, pass on your treasured tools 5 00:00:22,440 --> 00:00:26,239 Speaker 1: and artifacts to someone heading into it. You will equip 6 00:00:26,320 --> 00:00:28,880 Speaker 1: them for the time ahead and feel a sense of 7 00:00:28,880 --> 00:00:34,920 Speaker 1: connection and shared experience. So I recently read an article 8 00:00:35,000 --> 00:00:38,240 Speaker 1: about a barber who was retiring after nearly fifty years 9 00:00:38,240 --> 00:00:41,720 Speaker 1: of service. She gave her barber's chair to another barber 10 00:00:42,200 --> 00:00:44,839 Speaker 1: on the condition that he never sell it, but that 11 00:00:44,920 --> 00:00:48,320 Speaker 1: when he retires, he passes it along to yet another barber. 12 00:00:49,320 --> 00:00:52,559 Speaker 1: The chair is a symbol of continuity and dedication to 13 00:00:52,640 --> 00:00:57,560 Speaker 1: a job that both barbers clearly love. Imagine how many 14 00:00:57,600 --> 00:01:02,160 Speaker 1: haircuts and how many conversations that chair has seen, and 15 00:01:02,200 --> 00:01:06,240 Speaker 1: we'll see it is a treasured tool for meaningful work, 16 00:01:07,000 --> 00:01:12,080 Speaker 1: passed down from one master to another. When teachers retire, 17 00:01:12,120 --> 00:01:15,880 Speaker 1: they sometimes do something similar by passing on their lesson plans, 18 00:01:16,480 --> 00:01:22,080 Speaker 1: handmade classroom decorations, and class sets of scissors, protractors, and 19 00:01:22,160 --> 00:01:26,320 Speaker 1: the like. The gifts are practically useful to junior colleagues. 20 00:01:26,360 --> 00:01:30,520 Speaker 1: For sure, no one ever has enough scissors but they 21 00:01:30,520 --> 00:01:33,280 Speaker 1: are also a way for a veteran teacher to say 22 00:01:33,360 --> 00:01:37,319 Speaker 1: to a novice teacher, we are in this together. I 23 00:01:37,360 --> 00:01:40,640 Speaker 1: am supplying you, and I am rooting for you and 24 00:01:40,680 --> 00:01:45,360 Speaker 1: the important work ahead. Now. Of course, we all donate 25 00:01:45,440 --> 00:01:48,520 Speaker 1: stuff and pass stuff down. It's good to keep what 26 00:01:48,560 --> 00:01:52,400 Speaker 1: we can out of landfills. But the truly special stuff, 27 00:01:53,000 --> 00:01:57,520 Speaker 1: the truly useful stuff, we don't necessarily want to drop 28 00:01:57,560 --> 00:02:00,360 Speaker 1: off anonymously and hope the thrift store will find the 29 00:02:00,440 --> 00:02:03,279 Speaker 1: right person before selling it a scrap if they can't. 30 00:02:04,280 --> 00:02:08,080 Speaker 1: If something has proved really great to have and long lived, 31 00:02:08,800 --> 00:02:11,720 Speaker 1: it can feel good to personally choose someone who would 32 00:02:11,760 --> 00:02:15,480 Speaker 1: appreciate it and be a bit more ceremonious about it. 33 00:02:16,680 --> 00:02:18,800 Speaker 1: For instance, I have been thinking of that with a 34 00:02:18,880 --> 00:02:22,800 Speaker 1: great little L L Bean fleece toddler snowsuit that I own. 35 00:02:23,840 --> 00:02:26,399 Speaker 1: I remember in the year two thousand when my then 36 00:02:26,639 --> 00:02:29,480 Speaker 1: one year old niece wore it as she and her 37 00:02:29,480 --> 00:02:32,280 Speaker 1: parents said goodbye to me before I left to study 38 00:02:32,280 --> 00:02:36,200 Speaker 1: abroad in Australia. Her brother's wore it, and then her 39 00:02:36,200 --> 00:02:39,480 Speaker 1: parents gave it to me when I had kids. All 40 00:02:39,639 --> 00:02:43,520 Speaker 1: five of my children have now worn it. That niece 41 00:02:43,960 --> 00:02:46,079 Speaker 1: is now a grown up woman with her own apartment. 42 00:02:47,160 --> 00:02:50,720 Speaker 1: The snooky, as we call that snowsuit is still going strong. 43 00:02:51,760 --> 00:02:54,239 Speaker 1: I want to pass this highly useful item along to 44 00:02:54,320 --> 00:02:57,760 Speaker 1: someone who is just starting a family, and we'll appreciate 45 00:02:57,960 --> 00:03:00,760 Speaker 1: how it keeps little ones warm in a drafty house. 46 00:03:02,320 --> 00:03:05,519 Speaker 1: When it comes to work tools, passing things along to 47 00:03:05,560 --> 00:03:08,520 Speaker 1: the right person can be part of our legacy. A 48 00:03:08,639 --> 00:03:13,240 Speaker 1: handyman might pass along his best gear. A chef might 49 00:03:13,280 --> 00:03:16,680 Speaker 1: bequeath her knives. Now. I know many of us are 50 00:03:16,720 --> 00:03:20,840 Speaker 1: knowledge workers with limited physical tools, but I have been 51 00:03:20,880 --> 00:03:24,560 Speaker 1: the recipient of two great copies of Shakespeare's collected works 52 00:03:25,320 --> 00:03:28,959 Speaker 1: and a useful copy of Drunken Whites the Elements of Style. 53 00:03:29,960 --> 00:03:34,160 Speaker 1: There are always things we can pass along. Even that 54 00:03:34,280 --> 00:03:37,440 Speaker 1: lime green stapler you brought in a bright color in 55 00:03:37,520 --> 00:03:40,560 Speaker 1: order to keep people from stealing it once you're leaving 56 00:03:40,560 --> 00:03:44,080 Speaker 1: a particular workplace, why not pass it on to the 57 00:03:44,160 --> 00:03:48,320 Speaker 1: colleague who is always eyeing it. Now, to be clear, 58 00:03:48,400 --> 00:03:52,040 Speaker 1: I am talking about treasured tools. I am sure we 59 00:03:52,080 --> 00:03:54,920 Speaker 1: have all been the recipient of someone else's stuff that 60 00:03:54,960 --> 00:03:58,320 Speaker 1: they didn't really want, and they fooled themselves into thinking 61 00:03:58,360 --> 00:04:01,600 Speaker 1: someone else would want it. Nope, no one wants your 62 00:04:01,600 --> 00:04:05,000 Speaker 1: half filled notebooks. Those hand me down clothes that are 63 00:04:05,040 --> 00:04:08,400 Speaker 1: dirty and falling apart aren't gonna last through the next kid. 64 00:04:09,520 --> 00:04:12,640 Speaker 1: If someone asks for them, that's great, but don't voice 65 00:04:12,680 --> 00:04:17,159 Speaker 1: them on anyone. Instead, I am talking about passing on 66 00:04:17,279 --> 00:04:20,760 Speaker 1: items that have been personally significant to you and will 67 00:04:20,800 --> 00:04:24,000 Speaker 1: be significant to those who come after you. It is 68 00:04:24,040 --> 00:04:27,159 Speaker 1: good for things that can have a useful life to 69 00:04:27,279 --> 00:04:30,680 Speaker 1: continue having a useful life. And if the passing on 70 00:04:30,880 --> 00:04:34,560 Speaker 1: is done ceremoniously, it can be a real moment to 71 00:04:34,640 --> 00:04:38,800 Speaker 1: share wisdom and experiences and bring a sense of closure 72 00:04:39,320 --> 00:04:43,000 Speaker 1: when a chapter of life is done. In the meantime, 73 00:04:43,880 --> 00:04:48,320 Speaker 1: this is Laura. Thanks for listening, and here's to making 74 00:04:48,320 --> 00:04:58,520 Speaker 1: the most of our time. Hey everybody, I'd love to 75 00:04:58,560 --> 00:05:01,520 Speaker 1: hear from you. You can say me your tips, your questions, 76 00:05:01,640 --> 00:05:05,360 Speaker 1: or anything else. Just connect with me on Twitter, Facebook 77 00:05:05,480 --> 00:05:10,680 Speaker 1: and Instagram at Before Breakfast pod that's b the number 78 00:05:10,720 --> 00:05:14,919 Speaker 1: four then breakfast p o D. You can also shoot 79 00:05:14,920 --> 00:05:18,320 Speaker 1: me an email at Before Breakfast podcast at i heeart 80 00:05:18,400 --> 00:05:21,200 Speaker 1: media dot com that Before Breakfast is spelled out with 81 00:05:21,240 --> 00:05:23,839 Speaker 1: all the letters. Thanks so much. Should I look forward 82 00:05:23,880 --> 00:05:32,040 Speaker 1: to staying in touch. Before Breakfast is a production of 83 00:05:32,120 --> 00:05:35,440 Speaker 1: i heart Radio. For more podcasts from my heart Radio, 84 00:05:35,920 --> 00:05:39,440 Speaker 1: visit the i heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever 85 00:05:39,520 --> 00:05:40,839 Speaker 1: you listen to your favorite shows.