WEBVTT - Build memories with a long term project 

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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 take on a long term project

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<v Speaker 1>that you can associate with this summer. We are living

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<v Speaker 1>through tumultuous times, and one way to deepen memories is

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<v Speaker 1>to consciously undertake something that will always link your mind

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<v Speaker 1>to this time. If you've ever undertaken a huge project,

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<v Speaker 1>you probably recall when you did it. Over Christmas break

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<v Speaker 1>when I was in seventh grade, I built a dollhouse

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<v Speaker 1>from a kid completely by myself. I sanded, I fitted pieces,

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<v Speaker 1>I glued on hundreds of shingles. Much of my early

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<v Speaker 1>teenage years have disappeared into the past, but that I remember.

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<v Speaker 1>I also associate certain long books with certain times. I

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<v Speaker 1>tackled Chris and Laveryn Statter, a doorstopper of an epic

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<v Speaker 1>during a beach trip my extended family took to celebrate

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<v Speaker 1>my parents fiftieth wedding anniversary. Now medieval Norway, the summer

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<v Speaker 1>and the Jersey Shore are forever linked in my mind.

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<v Speaker 1>A lot of places are in an in between state

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<v Speaker 1>this summer. Kids maybe out of camp, even as some

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<v Speaker 1>restaurants and activities are slowly opening back up. This may

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<v Speaker 1>go in and out. There is much uncertainty with everything.

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<v Speaker 1>It would be easy to spend open evenings watching uninteresting TV,

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<v Speaker 1>or scrolling mindlessly on social media, or worrying without taking

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<v Speaker 1>much concrete action. Having a long term project, on the

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<v Speaker 1>other hand, gives you something specific to do in the

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<v Speaker 1>evening instead. Making forward progress on a project offers a

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<v Speaker 1>different way of marking the passage of time. The actual

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<v Speaker 1>project itself can be just about anything, though I recommend

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<v Speaker 1>something that feels vallenging but doable and hopefully meaningful as well.

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<v Speaker 1>Maybe you want to read through a certain list of books,

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<v Speaker 1>or a certain lengthy book. My daughter and I are

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<v Speaker 1>now building a dollhouse together. It's similar to the one

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<v Speaker 1>I built years ago, and it's something I've wanted to

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<v Speaker 1>do for a while. As we are about to go

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<v Speaker 1>through the teenage years, which will no doubt present challenges,

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<v Speaker 1>it will be nice to have something we can look

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<v Speaker 1>back on having done to gather. Maybe you want to

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<v Speaker 1>write a book. Right, five hundred words a day and

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<v Speaker 1>in ninety days you've got forty words, which is a

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<v Speaker 1>good start on a draft. Maybe this is the summer

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<v Speaker 1>you finally enlarge those old photos and frame them and

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<v Speaker 1>hang them somewhere prominent. Or maybe the project is of

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<v Speaker 1>a different sort. My friend Emma Johnson, who runs the

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<v Speaker 1>Wealthy Single Mommy business, has responded to the economic crisis

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<v Speaker 1>by giving no strings attached grants each week to a

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<v Speaker 1>mom in need. This is a wonderful project. Or maybe

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<v Speaker 1>this is the summer you start your mentoring program. Vert really,

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<v Speaker 1>in any case, think about the things you find yourself

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<v Speaker 1>saying you want to do one day, or if you

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<v Speaker 1>had the time, that time could be now. Your project

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<v Speaker 1>will give structure to your time this summer, and someday,

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<v Speaker 1>when you are looking back, you can associate the project

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<v Speaker 1>with this time. So much of life can slip through

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<v Speaker 1>our fingers, memories disappear into the past, but a tangible

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<v Speaker 1>result can serve as a reminder and this makes our

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<v Speaker 1>memories deeper and stronger, and ultimately, memories are all we

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<v Speaker 1>really have. What long term projects are you working on

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<v Speaker 1>right now? Anything you're considering taking on, You can let

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<v Speaker 1>me know that before Breakfast podcast at i heeart media

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

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<v Speaker 1>and here's to making the most of our time. 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 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 podcast.

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<v Speaker 1>At i heeart media dot com that Before Breakfast is

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

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

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<v Speaker 1>production of I heart Radio. For more podcasts from my

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<v Speaker 1>heart Radio, visit the i heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts,

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<v Speaker 1>or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.