Speaker 1: Welcome to Before Breakfast, a production of iHeartRadio. Good Morning.
Speaker 1: This is Laura. Welcome to the Before Breakfast podcast. Today's
Speaker 1: tip is to consider how you can give the gift
Speaker 1: of time. Far more than a gift card. The gift
Speaker 1: of time can help nurture relationships and build community. I
Speaker 1: decided to do an episode on this topic after hearing
Speaker 1: from a Before Breakfast listener who had thoughts on an
Speaker 1: earlier episode we did on having too much time. The
Speaker 1: listener noted that people whose schedules open up because they're
Speaker 1: between jobs or retired, or who children have grown are
Speaker 1: often advised to volunteer. That's a great idea, but the
Speaker 1: listener reminded me that volunteer opportunities don't have to be formal.
Speaker 1: For instance, she decided to take on some kid driving
Speaker 1: duties for a busy family. She knew the kids got
Speaker 1: to spend special time with someone who is like an
Speaker 1: aunt to them, and the parents got a break. Time
Speaker 1: can be an incredible gift in many ways. It's more
Speaker 1: valuable than money or things, because while you can make
Speaker 1: more money, you cannot make more time. The richest person
Speaker 1: on the planet still has just twenty four hours in
Speaker 1: a day. Once a second is gone, all the money
Speaker 1: in the world cannot buy it back. I know that
Speaker 1: sounds daunting and maybe like we should hoard our time,
Speaker 1: But as with money, having a mentality of abundance can
Speaker 1: actually make us feel rich. While philanthropists are technically giving
Speaker 1: their money away, they're building the world they want to see,
Speaker 1: which makes them feel wealthier. Not everyone has money, but
Speaker 1: all of us do have time. By thinking of yourself
Speaker 1: as a time philanthropist, you can seek out opportunities to
Speaker 1: invest your time in building the community you'd like to inhabit.
Speaker 1: So if you've got time you can give. Become a
Speaker 1: time detective. Who in your community needs help, who's struggling
Speaker 1: to cope with their responsibilities in the twenty four hours
Speaker 1: we have each day. Maybe a single parent in your
Speaker 1: neighborhood could really use a break. She might not ask,
Speaker 1: but you can offer. Maybe someone with a new baby
Speaker 1: would welcome the opportunity to hand over the other children
Speaker 1: for a few hours. Maybe a family with two working
Speaker 1: parents facing the stress of making a daycare pickup with
Speaker 1: the vagaries of traffic would love to have you on
Speaker 1: call for those days when the interstate is backed up
Speaker 1: for miles Maybe a neighbor who works an hour away
Speaker 1: would welcome your offer to check on an aging parent
Speaker 1: if there's ever an issue like that parent isn't picking
Speaker 1: up the phone. You could offer to drive someone whose
Speaker 1: car is broken down to the grocery store. There are
Speaker 1: plenty of needs when you look, but you can also
Speaker 1: think about giving the gift of time in general, perhaps
Speaker 1: as a substitute for more traditional gifts. Instead of giving
Speaker 1: a relation to a sweater, take her as your guest
Speaker 1: to the art museum for the afternoon. Instead of giving
Speaker 1: a friend a plant for her birthday, offer to do
Speaker 1: a few additional carpool runs. If you're pressed for time,
Speaker 1: this won't work. None of us can give more than
Speaker 1: we actually have. But if you're in a stage of
Speaker 1: life where there is more time, all of these ideas
Speaker 1: will nurture your relationships and build your community. And here's
Speaker 1: the even better part of gifts like these. If you
Speaker 1: come into a time squeeze yourself, people will remember and
Speaker 1: they'll pay it back. In that sense, the gift of
Speaker 1: time isn't really a gift. It's more like banking time
Speaker 1: for the future. In the meantime, this is Laura, Thanks
Speaker 1: for listening. And here's to making the most of our time.
Speaker 1: Hey everybody, I'd love to hear from you. You can
Speaker 1: send me your tips, your questions, or anything else. Just
Speaker 1: connect with me on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram at Before
Speaker 1: Breakfast Pod. That's b E the number four then Breakfast pod.
Speaker 1: You can also shoot me an email at Before Breakfast
Speaker 1: podcast at iHeartMedia dot com that Before Breakfast is spelled
Speaker 1: out with all the letters. Thanks so much, should I
Speaker 1: look forward to staying in touch. Before Breakfast is a
Speaker 1: production of iHeartRadio. For more podcasts from iHeartRadio, visit the
Speaker 1: iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to your
Speaker 1: favorite shows.