1 00:00:03,440 --> 00:00:07,560 Speaker 1: Welcome to Before Breakfast, a production of I Heart Radio. 2 00:00:08,800 --> 00:00:15,120 Speaker 1: Good Morning. This is Laura. Welcome to the Before Breakfast podcast. 3 00:00:16,360 --> 00:00:21,639 Speaker 1: Today's tip is that this is it. You are not 4 00:00:21,920 --> 00:00:26,960 Speaker 1: racing to a destination. You are living your life. So 5 00:00:27,120 --> 00:00:30,240 Speaker 1: rather than getting too caught up in the next thing's logistics, 6 00:00:31,040 --> 00:00:38,040 Speaker 1: be present and enjoy things when you possibly can. Today's 7 00:00:38,040 --> 00:00:41,960 Speaker 1: tip comes from cookbook author Jenny Rosenstratch, who blogs at Dinner, 8 00:00:42,240 --> 00:00:47,080 Speaker 1: a Love Story and Cup of Joe. One of her cookbooks, 9 00:00:47,080 --> 00:00:52,879 Speaker 1: How to Celebrate Everything, offers recipes for holidays, birthdays, family rituals, 10 00:00:52,920 --> 00:00:57,160 Speaker 1: and family dinner. In a blog post explaining why she 11 00:00:57,200 --> 00:01:01,320 Speaker 1: wrote the book, she describes real lising the importance of 12 00:01:01,480 --> 00:01:05,520 Speaker 1: noticing everyday life when everything seems to be going by 13 00:01:05,760 --> 00:01:10,000 Speaker 1: so fast. This is not a race to the finish line, 14 00:01:10,160 --> 00:01:17,319 Speaker 1: she realized, this is it. I get that it is 15 00:01:17,360 --> 00:01:19,760 Speaker 1: so easy to get caught up in the business of 16 00:01:19,800 --> 00:01:22,120 Speaker 1: all the stuff we need to do for our families 17 00:01:22,760 --> 00:01:27,440 Speaker 1: that we sometimes forget to enjoy ourselves and enjoy them. 18 00:01:27,480 --> 00:01:30,240 Speaker 1: It is truly lovely to make a flawless dinner for 19 00:01:30,280 --> 00:01:34,280 Speaker 1: your best friend's birthday, or to decorate a Christmas tree 20 00:01:34,720 --> 00:01:38,160 Speaker 1: that looks like it came out of a magazine. But 21 00:01:38,319 --> 00:01:41,240 Speaker 1: sometimes in the process we get distracted from the people 22 00:01:42,200 --> 00:01:46,320 Speaker 1: and get consumed by the projects. If you ever feel 23 00:01:46,360 --> 00:01:49,000 Speaker 1: that way, then maybe you can try repeating these words. 24 00:01:50,160 --> 00:01:54,160 Speaker 1: This is not a race, this is it, or simply 25 00:01:55,160 --> 00:01:58,760 Speaker 1: this is it. The party is not so much about 26 00:01:58,760 --> 00:02:01,760 Speaker 1: the intricate decor as it is about bringing people together 27 00:02:02,520 --> 00:02:06,760 Speaker 1: and enjoying the experience of having them there. Holiday events 28 00:02:06,760 --> 00:02:09,120 Speaker 1: and all their logistics, they're not about planning them and 29 00:02:09,120 --> 00:02:12,800 Speaker 1: then crossing them off a list. It's ideally about enjoying 30 00:02:12,840 --> 00:02:17,840 Speaker 1: them and creating memories. Now, I do want to acknowledge 31 00:02:17,880 --> 00:02:23,640 Speaker 1: that I am not downplaying the importance of logistics. Someone 32 00:02:23,840 --> 00:02:27,160 Speaker 1: does have to do the work of planning and figuring 33 00:02:27,160 --> 00:02:31,520 Speaker 1: out the details. A party maybe about bringing people together, 34 00:02:32,480 --> 00:02:35,600 Speaker 1: but folks are going to be mad if there's no food, 35 00:02:36,280 --> 00:02:38,799 Speaker 1: and they will be annoyed if there is nowhere to sit. 36 00:02:40,240 --> 00:02:42,600 Speaker 1: My kids got to do a lot of wonderful things 37 00:02:42,600 --> 00:02:45,880 Speaker 1: over the holidays, from seeing shows and lights and trains 38 00:02:45,919 --> 00:02:51,600 Speaker 1: to travel. None of that was magic. It happened because 39 00:02:51,639 --> 00:02:55,240 Speaker 1: I did the work to make it happen. And sometimes 40 00:02:55,320 --> 00:02:58,239 Speaker 1: it is a wee bit stressful to make everything happen. 41 00:02:59,760 --> 00:03:02,520 Speaker 1: I do not react well if someone would then tell me, oh, 42 00:03:02,680 --> 00:03:06,240 Speaker 1: logistics don't matter, just be present and focus on the magic. 43 00:03:07,440 --> 00:03:12,600 Speaker 1: No that's said. During each event, I did try to 44 00:03:12,760 --> 00:03:16,120 Speaker 1: notice and see the highlights, the kids laughing as they 45 00:03:16,200 --> 00:03:19,200 Speaker 1: ran through a Christmas light tunnel, or my little guy 46 00:03:19,240 --> 00:03:23,399 Speaker 1: sitting on Santa's lap for the first time. I made 47 00:03:23,400 --> 00:03:27,040 Speaker 1: sure to build in things that I enjoyed too, like 48 00:03:27,120 --> 00:03:29,720 Speaker 1: a solo night at a botanical garden decked out for 49 00:03:29,760 --> 00:03:35,200 Speaker 1: the holidays and singing the Messiah choruses. I made sure 50 00:03:35,280 --> 00:03:38,280 Speaker 1: to notice and savor my favorite part of The Nutcracker, 51 00:03:39,160 --> 00:03:43,880 Speaker 1: when the snowflakes dance at the end of the first act, because, 52 00:03:44,800 --> 00:03:51,600 Speaker 1: after all, this is it, this is life. I know 53 00:03:51,720 --> 00:03:54,280 Speaker 1: many people listening to this podcast do a lot of 54 00:03:54,320 --> 00:03:58,800 Speaker 1: work for their families, their communities, and their employees to 55 00:03:58,920 --> 00:04:03,240 Speaker 1: make wonderful things happen. From the exciting birthday party to 56 00:04:03,280 --> 00:04:07,040 Speaker 1: the retreat where you got those breakthrough ideas. None of 57 00:04:07,080 --> 00:04:11,080 Speaker 1: it is magic. But as we figure out all the 58 00:04:11,160 --> 00:04:15,720 Speaker 1: logistical steps of these processes, maybe we can add as 59 00:04:15,760 --> 00:04:21,680 Speaker 1: a last step to notice and enjoy experience the fun 60 00:04:21,800 --> 00:04:26,080 Speaker 1: of a new employee being folded into a community. See 61 00:04:26,080 --> 00:04:28,400 Speaker 1: the kid connect with a new friend who came to 62 00:04:28,440 --> 00:04:32,120 Speaker 1: the party. It is not a race to get through 63 00:04:32,160 --> 00:04:37,359 Speaker 1: these things. This is it the best to experience it 64 00:04:38,400 --> 00:04:43,640 Speaker 1: as much as possible. In the meantime, this is Laura. 65 00:04:44,600 --> 00:04:49,039 Speaker 1: Thanks for listening and here's to making the most of 66 00:04:49,120 --> 00:04:57,760 Speaker 1: our time. Hey, everybody, I'd love to hear from it. 67 00:04:58,360 --> 00:05:00,560 Speaker 1: You can send me your tips, your quest jens or 68 00:05:00,600 --> 00:05:04,320 Speaker 1: anything else. Just connect with me on Twitter, Facebook and 69 00:05:04,440 --> 00:05:09,719 Speaker 1: Instagram at Before Breakfast Pod that's b E the number four, 70 00:05:10,279 --> 00:05:13,800 Speaker 1: then Breakfast p o D. You can also shoot me 71 00:05:13,800 --> 00:05:17,480 Speaker 1: an email at Before Breakfast Podcast at i heeart media 72 00:05:17,560 --> 00:05:20,160 Speaker 1: dot com that Before Breakfast is spelled out with all 73 00:05:20,200 --> 00:05:23,000 Speaker 1: the letters. Thanks so much, I look forward to staying 74 00:05:23,000 --> 00:05:31,679 Speaker 1: in touch. Before Breakfast is a production of I Heart Radio. 75 00:05:32,279 --> 00:05:35,200 Speaker 1: For more podcasts from my heart Radio, visit the i 76 00:05:35,279 --> 00:05:38,760 Speaker 1: heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to 77 00:05:38,800 --> 00:05:39,640 Speaker 1: your favorite shows.