WEBVTT - Magic happens in the mushy middle

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<v Speaker 1>Welcome to Before Breakfast, a production of iHeartRadio.

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<v Speaker 2>Good Morning. This is Laura. Welcome to the Before Breakfast podcast.

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<v Speaker 1>Today's tip is that magic happens in the mushy middle.

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<v Speaker 1>With any long term project or habit, motivation can dip

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<v Speaker 1>when both the starting line and the finish line are

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<v Speaker 1>not in sight. But I have found that magic often

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<v Speaker 1>happens in the in between places.

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<v Speaker 2>It is best to be there for it. Longtime listeners

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<v Speaker 2>know that I am a big fan of year long projects.

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<v Speaker 2>This particular year, I am listening to all the works

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<v Speaker 2>of Bach. I am also writing a sonnet every week

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<v Speaker 2>at the rate of two lines per day. This episode

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<v Speaker 2>is first airing in July, and all that New year

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<v Speaker 2>energy for new goals is long swept into the past.

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<v Speaker 2>We are also nowhere near December, where the prospect of

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<v Speaker 2>finishing starts to exert its own pull. Long term projects

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<v Speaker 2>can occasionally suffer from some malaise in performance. Let's just

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<v Speaker 2>say that a few of my recent sonnets have been

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<v Speaker 2>fairly pedantic. I rhyme the words eyes and surprise, and

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<v Speaker 2>that wasn't even the worst of it. Persisting in the

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<v Speaker 2>mushy middle is hard, but I try to remind myself

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<v Speaker 2>that magic often happens in the mushy middle. You have

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<v Speaker 2>to be there to experience it, and so you commit

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<v Speaker 2>to continuing to just be there. For instance, I was

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<v Speaker 2>listening to BWV one eighty one the other day, which

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<v Speaker 2>is my one hundred eighty first Bach Church cantata. There's

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<v Speaker 2>a lot of cantatas, some are more workaday than others.

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<v Speaker 2>But then there was this thrilling, aggressive violin line thrown

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<v Speaker 2>in there where the violinist plays more than one note simultaneously,

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<v Speaker 2>which is always pretty cool. And then there was a

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<v Speaker 2>glorious brass fanfare. A few moments after that. I sat

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<v Speaker 2>up in my seat listening just a little glimpse of magic.

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<v Speaker 2>There is no way I would have listened to BWV

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<v Speaker 2>one eighty one if I wasn't going through all the

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<v Speaker 2>works of Bach. It is not a particularly famous cantata,

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<v Speaker 2>unlike say the Christmas oratorio. Oh, people aren't performing it regularly.

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<v Speaker 2>But because I am listening to all two hundred plus cantatas,

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<v Speaker 2>I listen to that cantata and I heard those wonderful

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<v Speaker 2>strings and trumpets. I am trying to keep this in

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<v Speaker 2>mind with my sonnets too, because I keep writing two

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<v Speaker 2>lines a day, I keep completing a sonnet every week.

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<v Speaker 2>Some are not particularly inspired, and so it is tempting

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<v Speaker 2>in the middle of a week where I can see

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<v Speaker 2>that the sonnet is going nowhere to stop. But then

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<v Speaker 2>sometimes I come up with an image, or an interesting rhyme,

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<v Speaker 2>or just an interesting line. I might be able to

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<v Speaker 2>use that elsewhere, and it wouldn't have happened if I

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<v Speaker 2>had just stopped. You never entirely know when the good

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<v Speaker 2>stuff is going to happen, so you just have to

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<v Speaker 2>keep at it. Sure, magic might be possible at the

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<v Speaker 2>beginning or the end of anything, but it can happen

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<v Speaker 2>in the middle too. You write a draft of an

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<v Speaker 2>article that is not particularly insightful, but one line in

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<v Speaker 2>the middle sparks a new way of thinking that you

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<v Speaker 2>then pursue in your next work. You go to worship

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<v Speaker 2>services most weeks, and many aren't that memorable, but then

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<v Speaker 2>one week something just opens up new ways of understanding.

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<v Speaker 2>I am not saying you need to stick with anything forever.

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<v Speaker 2>Many things do just run their course. But if it

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<v Speaker 2>is a mostly positive force in your life, and it's

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<v Speaker 2>never too onerous, it might be worth persisting even if

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<v Speaker 2>things are a bit ho hum. You never know when

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<v Speaker 2>magic will happen, but it is good to be there

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<v Speaker 2>for it in the meantime. This is Laura. Thanks for listening,

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<v Speaker 2>and here's to making the most of our time.

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<v Speaker 1>Thanks for listening to Before Breakfast. If you've got questions, ideas,

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<v Speaker 1>or feedback, you can reach me at Laura at Laura

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<v Speaker 1>vandercam dot com. Before Breakfast is a production of iHeartMedia.

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