WEBVTT - Plan a closing ceremony

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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 to plan a closing ceremony. When you

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<v Speaker 1>know a chapter of your life is coming to an end,

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<v Speaker 1>do something to mark that end. That moment for reflection

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<v Speaker 1>can make life feel more rich and full. So, as

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<v Speaker 1>country singer Brad Paisley sings in his song, there is

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<v Speaker 1>a last time for everything, but we don't always know

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<v Speaker 1>when that last time is happening. Maybe it's waking up

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<v Speaker 1>at five am to see what Santa brought. There will

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<v Speaker 1>come a year when your kids don't do that, but

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<v Speaker 1>you don't know for sure when they are doing it

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<v Speaker 1>one particular Christmas morning that that will be the last

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<v Speaker 1>early Christmas morning, and the next year they will be

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<v Speaker 1>big enough to sleep in. Many of us have said

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<v Speaker 1>goodbye to relatives, assuming we were saying goodbye for a

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<v Speaker 1>little bit, not forever in this world at least, But

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<v Speaker 1>life can change quickly. We can't always know when something

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<v Speaker 1>is the last time, but for some things we do know.

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<v Speaker 1>When you graduate from an institution, you are ending your

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<v Speaker 1>time there as a student. That is why we have

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<v Speaker 1>a big ceremony to mark the moment. When you leave

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<v Speaker 1>a job, you often do something to mark the end

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<v Speaker 1>of your tenure, particularly if you've been there for a while.

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<v Speaker 1>Those are big, obvious endings, but even many smaller endings

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<v Speaker 1>represent real change in a life. Acknowledging that change can

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<v Speaker 1>make transitions more mindful. So, for instance, if you have

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<v Speaker 1>worked for three months with a team on a project,

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<v Speaker 1>do something real to mark the end of the project.

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<v Speaker 1>It doesn't have to be a dinner if that doesn't

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<v Speaker 1>really work well for everyone. Simply ordering a team lunch

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<v Speaker 1>or having a quick ceremony on zoom where you all

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<v Speaker 1>share your favorite memory can send everyone off with good

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<v Speaker 1>feelings and maybe remind you that you would like to

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<v Speaker 1>work with these people again. Same with a volunteer project.

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<v Speaker 1>You don't have to let it just slowly end. Acknowledge

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<v Speaker 1>the ending, and talk about what you are taking from

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<v Speaker 1>the experience. I've always thought it would be great if

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<v Speaker 1>social groups would acknowledge an end to their get togethers.

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<v Speaker 1>This book club was great for a year, and now

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<v Speaker 1>people are getting too busy. Take a moment to acknowledge

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<v Speaker 1>this and thank everyone for being part of it, and

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<v Speaker 1>maybe share a funny anecdote, Even things that might seem

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<v Speaker 1>a bit silly can be worth a closing ceremony. Many

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<v Speaker 1>of us spend a lot of time in our cars,

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<v Speaker 1>so if you are trading your car in and getting

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<v Speaker 1>a new one, you might take a moment to acknowledge

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<v Speaker 1>all that time, thank the car for its service, or

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<v Speaker 1>at least talk with your family members about memories you

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<v Speaker 1>share from time you spent in that car. When we

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<v Speaker 1>sold our old house earlier this year, I took the

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<v Speaker 1>kids back there one last time to walk through it.

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<v Speaker 1>We knew that would be the last time we would

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<v Speaker 1>be there, so we wanted to walk through the halls

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<v Speaker 1>and think about our memories. Yes, home is wherever we

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<v Speaker 1>all are together, but we made a lot of memories

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<v Speaker 1>in that home. It was nice to have one last

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<v Speaker 1>night to acknowledge that. In general, people don't always like

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<v Speaker 1>thinking about endings. That's why we call graduations commencements, like

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<v Speaker 1>it's the beginning of something, and it is, but it

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<v Speaker 1>is also a finishing. We don't always like to acknowledge

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<v Speaker 1>that things will end. Like social groups. Perhaps it reminds

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<v Speaker 1>us in a way of our mortality. I've realized that

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<v Speaker 1>while I have watched a lot of Olympic opening ceremonies.

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<v Speaker 1>I really haven't watched that many closing ceremonies. I imagine

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<v Speaker 1>many of us are like that. But how we end matters.

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<v Speaker 1>An end can make a conscious transition that allows us

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<v Speaker 1>to mindfully close one book as we open another. We

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<v Speaker 1>can reflect on the memories and start moving forward with

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<v Speaker 1>fewer loose ends. So plan a closing ceremony for any

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<v Speaker 1>endings in your life that can make the passing time

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<v Speaker 1>feel a little more special and less like a loss.

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<v Speaker 1>In the meantime, this is Laura. Thanks for listening, and

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<v Speaker 1>here's to making the most of our talks. Hey everybody,

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<v Speaker 1>I'd love to hear from you. You can send me

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<v Speaker 1>your tips, your questions, or anything else. Just connect with

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<v Speaker 1>me on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram at Before Breakfast pod

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<v Speaker 1>that's b E the number four, then Breakfast p o D.

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<v Speaker 1>You can also shoot me an email at Before Breakfast

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<v Speaker 1>podcast at i heeart media dot com that Before Breakfast

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<v Speaker 1>is spelled out with all the letters. Thanks so much,

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<v Speaker 1>I look forward to staying in touch. Before Breakfast is

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