1 00:00:03,480 --> 00:00:09,600 Speaker 1: Welcome to Before Breakfast, a production of iHeartRadio. Good Morning, 2 00:00:10,920 --> 00:00:16,480 Speaker 1: This is Laura. Welcome to the Before Breakfast podcast. Today's 3 00:00:16,480 --> 00:00:21,640 Speaker 1: tip is to create occasions to run into people. Nobody 4 00:00:21,680 --> 00:00:25,279 Speaker 1: wants to live an isolated life, and while you can 5 00:00:25,440 --> 00:00:27,680 Speaker 1: and should make plans with the people you are close to, 6 00:00:28,800 --> 00:00:31,680 Speaker 1: there is much to be said for allowing some serendipitous 7 00:00:31,760 --> 00:00:37,040 Speaker 1: connection as well. So if you work in an office 8 00:00:37,080 --> 00:00:39,600 Speaker 1: miss days, spend lots of time on the sidelines of 9 00:00:39,640 --> 00:00:43,559 Speaker 1: soccer games, show up at worship services each weekend, and 10 00:00:43,640 --> 00:00:47,680 Speaker 1: regularly groom the local trails as a volunteer. You probably 11 00:00:47,720 --> 00:00:50,920 Speaker 1: cross paths with lots of people that you sort of 12 00:00:51,000 --> 00:00:55,720 Speaker 1: know every day, but many people don't have as many 13 00:00:55,720 --> 00:01:00,520 Speaker 1: occasions for socializing with people who we might call week ties. 14 00:01:01,320 --> 00:01:05,360 Speaker 1: That means you're friendly but not best friends. You're not 15 00:01:05,400 --> 00:01:08,200 Speaker 1: going to call these people frequently, but you like to 16 00:01:08,240 --> 00:01:12,920 Speaker 1: see them when you do. Sometimes, over time, relationships can 17 00:01:12,959 --> 00:01:17,640 Speaker 1: become closer or weak. Ties can introduce you to other 18 00:01:17,680 --> 00:01:21,280 Speaker 1: people or share information like a great camp for your 19 00:01:21,360 --> 00:01:24,520 Speaker 1: kids that's not sold out by October, or who to 20 00:01:24,560 --> 00:01:26,320 Speaker 1: talk to if you have a problem with your trash 21 00:01:26,360 --> 00:01:30,200 Speaker 1: collection service. Your best friends already know a lot of 22 00:01:30,240 --> 00:01:33,360 Speaker 1: the same stuff you do. The people you run into 23 00:01:33,400 --> 00:01:37,720 Speaker 1: occasionally move in different circles, so they have more new 24 00:01:37,760 --> 00:01:42,240 Speaker 1: stuff to offer. So how can you run into more people? 25 00:01:43,600 --> 00:01:46,840 Speaker 1: One option is to be a little less efficient with 26 00:01:46,920 --> 00:01:51,400 Speaker 1: the things you have to do. Yes, grocery delivery is 27 00:01:51,440 --> 00:01:54,600 Speaker 1: great if you are on a tight schedule, but are 28 00:01:54,640 --> 00:01:58,200 Speaker 1: you always Maybe some days you could go to the 29 00:01:58,200 --> 00:02:01,720 Speaker 1: grocery store at five fifteen pm, when absolutely everyone else 30 00:02:01,800 --> 00:02:06,040 Speaker 1: is there, or on Saturday afternoons. If you have lived 31 00:02:06,080 --> 00:02:09,080 Speaker 1: in your town for a while, the odds that you 32 00:02:09,120 --> 00:02:13,680 Speaker 1: bump into someone you know are large. Same for shopping 33 00:02:13,720 --> 00:02:16,959 Speaker 1: for gifts. Stop by the bookstore and see what's there 34 00:02:17,040 --> 00:02:22,519 Speaker 1: and just as importantly, who is there. Another great way 35 00:02:22,560 --> 00:02:25,120 Speaker 1: to cross paths with people is to exercise out in 36 00:02:25,160 --> 00:02:29,160 Speaker 1: the world instead of just at home. Run outside, or 37 00:02:29,160 --> 00:02:31,360 Speaker 1: go to the gym instead of running on the treadmill 38 00:02:31,360 --> 00:02:34,480 Speaker 1: in your basement. If you start going to the gym 39 00:02:34,520 --> 00:02:37,760 Speaker 1: at around the same time most days, not only will 40 00:02:37,760 --> 00:02:40,919 Speaker 1: you bump into people you know from elsewhere, you might 41 00:02:40,960 --> 00:02:44,480 Speaker 1: start getting to know the other regulars. That is a 42 00:02:44,520 --> 00:02:49,720 Speaker 1: win all around. If you are a remote worker, consider 43 00:02:49,800 --> 00:02:52,000 Speaker 1: working away from home one to two days a week. 44 00:02:53,160 --> 00:02:56,240 Speaker 1: There's no need to add on a long commute. But 45 00:02:56,240 --> 00:02:59,600 Speaker 1: if you've got a bustling coffee shop nearby, you could 46 00:02:59,639 --> 00:03:02,680 Speaker 1: go work there for two hours two afternoons a week 47 00:03:03,280 --> 00:03:07,840 Speaker 1: and feel a lot less isolated. Of course, if you 48 00:03:07,880 --> 00:03:11,080 Speaker 1: are arranging your life to run into people, you should 49 00:03:11,080 --> 00:03:13,320 Speaker 1: be prepared to spend a little time with the people 50 00:03:13,360 --> 00:03:17,000 Speaker 1: you run into. While you are doing this, build in 51 00:03:17,040 --> 00:03:20,359 Speaker 1: a little extra time for things if you don't need 52 00:03:20,400 --> 00:03:24,440 Speaker 1: to be somewhere immediately afterwards, you can have a conversation 53 00:03:24,560 --> 00:03:29,600 Speaker 1: with people rather than racing off, and consider joining groups 54 00:03:29,680 --> 00:03:33,200 Speaker 1: or organizations where you're likely to see a lot of folks. 55 00:03:33,440 --> 00:03:37,000 Speaker 1: There are a great many reasons to volunteer, but feeling 56 00:03:37,040 --> 00:03:40,640 Speaker 1: like you are part of a community is a big one. 57 00:03:40,840 --> 00:03:44,000 Speaker 1: Professional groups can also be great. You don't have to 58 00:03:44,000 --> 00:03:47,840 Speaker 1: go to everything, but going to some things allows you 59 00:03:47,920 --> 00:03:52,200 Speaker 1: to run into people. It's interesting in our digital age, 60 00:03:52,240 --> 00:03:56,440 Speaker 1: how removed from everyone else we can be. I remember 61 00:03:56,480 --> 00:03:59,920 Speaker 1: when services like grubhub or uber eats first became a thing. 62 00:04:00,680 --> 00:04:02,840 Speaker 1: How odd it was to order food and not deal 63 00:04:02,880 --> 00:04:06,920 Speaker 1: with a single other human being. The food just appeared 64 00:04:07,200 --> 00:04:10,280 Speaker 1: on the doorstep. I didn't even have to call the restaurant. 65 00:04:10,280 --> 00:04:13,000 Speaker 1: And talk to the person at the counter. And in 66 00:04:13,040 --> 00:04:17,120 Speaker 1: many ways this is amazing. My order is less likely 67 00:04:17,200 --> 00:04:21,400 Speaker 1: to get garbled in the process. But sometimes we can 68 00:04:21,440 --> 00:04:25,320 Speaker 1: go a little too far and walling ourselves off. The 69 00:04:25,360 --> 00:04:29,000 Speaker 1: world is full of wonderful people. It's nice to say 70 00:04:29,000 --> 00:04:36,159 Speaker 1: hello on occasion. In the meantime, this is Laura. Thanks 71 00:04:36,200 --> 00:04:41,360 Speaker 1: for listening, and here's to making the most of our times. 72 00:04:47,480 --> 00:04:51,919 Speaker 1: Thanks for listening to Before Breakfast. If you've got questions, ideas, 73 00:04:52,040 --> 00:04:55,479 Speaker 1: or feedback, you can reach me at Laura at Laura 74 00:04:55,560 --> 00:05:04,839 Speaker 1: vandercam dot com. Before Breakfast is a production of iHeartMedia. 75 00:05:05,520 --> 00:05:09,479 Speaker 1: For more podcasts from iHeartMedia, please visit the iHeartRadio app, 76 00:05:09,760 --> 00:05:15,120 Speaker 1: Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.