WEBVTT - Pass the good stuff on

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

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<v Speaker 1>Good Morning. This is Laura. Welcome to the Before Breakfast podcast.

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<v Speaker 1>Today's tip is for when you are moving from one

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<v Speaker 1>season of life to another, pass on your treasured tools

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<v Speaker 1>and artifacts to someone heading into it. You will equip

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<v Speaker 1>them for the time ahead and feel a sense of

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<v Speaker 1>connection and shared experience. So I recently read an article

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<v Speaker 1>about a barber who was retiring after nearly fifty years

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<v Speaker 1>of service. She gave her barber's chair to another barber

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<v Speaker 1>on the condition that he never sell it, but that

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<v Speaker 1>when he retires, he passes it along to yet another barber.

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<v Speaker 1>The chair is a symbol of continuity and dedication to

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<v Speaker 1>a job that both barbers clearly love. Imagine how many

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<v Speaker 1>haircuts and how many conversations that chair has seen, and

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<v Speaker 1>we'll see it is a treasured tool for meaningful work,

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<v Speaker 1>passed down from one master to another. When teachers retire,

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<v Speaker 1>they sometimes do something similar by passing on their lesson plans,

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<v Speaker 1>handmade classroom decorations, and class sets of scissors, protractors, and

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<v Speaker 1>the like. The gifts are practically useful to junior colleagues.

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<v Speaker 1>For sure, no one ever has enough scissors but they

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<v Speaker 1>are also a way for a veteran teacher to say

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<v Speaker 1>to a novice teacher, we are in this together. I

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<v Speaker 1>am supplying you, and I am rooting for you and

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<v Speaker 1>the important work ahead. Now. Of course, we all donate

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<v Speaker 1>stuff and pass stuff down. It's good to keep what

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<v Speaker 1>we can out of landfills. But the truly special stuff,

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<v Speaker 1>the truly useful stuff, we don't necessarily want to drop

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<v Speaker 1>off anonymously and hope the thrift store will find the

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<v Speaker 1>right person before selling it a scrap if they can't.

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<v Speaker 1>If something has proved really great to have and long lived,

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<v Speaker 1>it can feel good to personally choose someone who would

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<v Speaker 1>appreciate it and be a bit more ceremonious about it.

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<v Speaker 1>For instance, I have been thinking of that with a

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<v Speaker 1>great little L L Bean fleece toddler snowsuit that I own.

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<v Speaker 1>I remember in the year two thousand when my then

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<v Speaker 1>one year old niece wore it as she and her

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<v Speaker 1>parents said goodbye to me before I left to study

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<v Speaker 1>abroad in Australia. Her brother's wore it, and then her

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<v Speaker 1>parents gave it to me when I had kids. All

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<v Speaker 1>five of my children have now worn it. That niece

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<v Speaker 1>is now a grown up woman with her own apartment.

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<v Speaker 1>The snooky, as we call that snowsuit is still going strong.

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<v Speaker 1>I want to pass this highly useful item along to

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<v Speaker 1>someone who is just starting a family, and we'll appreciate

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<v Speaker 1>how it keeps little ones warm in a drafty house.

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<v Speaker 1>When it comes to work tools, passing things along to

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<v Speaker 1>the right person can be part of our legacy. A

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<v Speaker 1>handyman might pass along his best gear. A chef might

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<v Speaker 1>bequeath her knives. Now. I know many of us are

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<v Speaker 1>knowledge workers with limited physical tools, but I have been

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<v Speaker 1>the recipient of two great copies of Shakespeare's collected works

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<v Speaker 1>and a useful copy of Drunken Whites the Elements of Style.

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<v Speaker 1>There are always things we can pass along. Even that

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<v Speaker 1>lime green stapler you brought in a bright color in

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<v Speaker 1>order to keep people from stealing it once you're leaving

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<v Speaker 1>a particular workplace, why not pass it on to the

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<v Speaker 1>colleague who is always eyeing it. Now, to be clear,

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<v Speaker 1>I am talking about treasured tools. I am sure we

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<v Speaker 1>have all been the recipient of someone else's stuff that

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<v Speaker 1>they didn't really want, and they fooled themselves into thinking

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<v Speaker 1>someone else would want it. Nope, no one wants your

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<v Speaker 1>half filled notebooks. Those hand me down clothes that are

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<v Speaker 1>dirty and falling apart aren't gonna last through the next kid.

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<v Speaker 1>If someone asks for them, that's great, but don't voice

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<v Speaker 1>them on anyone. Instead, I am talking about passing on

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<v Speaker 1>items that have been personally significant to you and will

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<v Speaker 1>be significant to those who come after you. It is

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<v Speaker 1>good for things that can have a useful life to

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<v Speaker 1>continue having a useful life. And if the passing on

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<v Speaker 1>is done ceremoniously, it can be a real moment to

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<v Speaker 1>share wisdom and experiences and bring a sense of closure

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<v Speaker 1>when a chapter of life is done. In the meantime,

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<v Speaker 1>this is Laura. Thanks for listening, and here's to making

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<v Speaker 1>the most of our time. Hey everybody, I'd love to

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<v Speaker 1>hear from you. You can say me your tips, your questions,

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<v Speaker 1>or anything else. Just connect with me on Twitter, Facebook

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<v Speaker 1>and Instagram at Before Breakfast pod that's b the number

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<v Speaker 1>four then breakfast p o D. You can also shoot

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<v Speaker 1>me an email at Before Breakfast podcast at i heeart

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<v Speaker 1>media dot com that Before Breakfast is spelled out with

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<v Speaker 1>all the letters. Thanks so much. Should I look forward

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<v Speaker 1>to staying in touch. Before Breakfast is a production of

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<v Speaker 1>i heart Radio. For more podcasts from my heart Radio,

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