WEBVTT - Snail mail delights

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

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<v Speaker 1>This is Laura, Welcome to the Before Breakfast podcast. Today's

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<v Speaker 1>tip is that snail mail tends to delight people. Sending

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<v Speaker 1>a card or note doesn't take long, but it can

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<v Speaker 1>bring a lot of joy. So most people won't get

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<v Speaker 1>much personal physical mail until next December when holiday cards

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<v Speaker 1>start arriving. That is a pity because people love getting

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<v Speaker 1>personal mail as opposed to junk mail. In December is

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<v Speaker 1>a long time from now, so why not drop a

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<v Speaker 1>note in the mail and spread a little love in

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<v Speaker 1>the meantime. I have some practical tips for making this

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<v Speaker 1>feel more doable and fun. First, make sure you have

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<v Speaker 1>a file of mailing eyes address as handy. Probably you

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<v Speaker 1>do from your holiday cards, but if not, make one

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<v Speaker 1>that has the information on your friends and family members.

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<v Speaker 1>Here's a fun fact. If people own their homes, you

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<v Speaker 1>can often find their mailing addresses by searching online for

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<v Speaker 1>their names in the town where they live, because real

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<v Speaker 1>estate purchases are generally public records. But you can obviously

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<v Speaker 1>just send a quick text or email asking for this information.

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<v Speaker 1>You might also keep a stash of fun or funny

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<v Speaker 1>cards in your desk, stop by the dollar store and

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<v Speaker 1>pick up a batch. If you'd like to be a

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<v Speaker 1>little more elevated, you can look somewhere like a bookstore

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<v Speaker 1>or paper source. You can also buy hand decorated cards

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<v Speaker 1>from artisans at places like Etsy or if you have kids,

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<v Speaker 1>they are no doubt creating a lot of artwork, so

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<v Speaker 1>you could start sharing these masterpieces with other relatives. Just

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<v Speaker 1>fold one up and put it in an envelope. As

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<v Speaker 1>for what to say, well, this may feel awkward for

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<v Speaker 1>the first few cards or letters, but when people start

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<v Speaker 1>to see you as the person who sends the snail mail,

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<v Speaker 1>it will seem a lot less weird. So choose an

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<v Speaker 1>occasion that feels defensible, like a holiday or the anniversary

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<v Speaker 1>of something that you and the other person experience together,

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<v Speaker 1>and reach out. On that occasion. Just say thinking of you,

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<v Speaker 1>share one recent detail from your life, and send them

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<v Speaker 1>good wishes. There is no need to overthink this. You

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<v Speaker 1>might also use snail mail as a way to send

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<v Speaker 1>printed photos. Most people don't have nearly enough printed photos

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<v Speaker 1>these days, so print them up from the last time

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<v Speaker 1>you saw a friend or family member and stick those

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<v Speaker 1>in the mail. It is pretty easy to order envelopes

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<v Speaker 1>that are large enough to accommodate a four x six photo.

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<v Speaker 1>Your notes don't have to be long. It is the

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<v Speaker 1>sheer thought that counts and the fun of getting something

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<v Speaker 1>in the mail that is not a catalog. Why not

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<v Speaker 1>give it a shot. If you get excited about sending

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<v Speaker 1>snail mail, you may want to keep a few cards

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<v Speaker 1>in your car or kitchen drawer, or anywhere else you

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<v Speaker 1>routinely find yourself with time that is not spoken for.

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<v Speaker 1>Then it's easy to write a note. Whenever you have

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<v Speaker 1>a few minutes. You can use your time confetti to

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<v Speaker 1>make someone's day. Because snail mail really is delightful in

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<v Speaker 1>a way that few other things that take a few

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<v Speaker 1>minutes and a few dollars can be. There is no

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<v Speaker 1>reason not to avail yourself of the opportunity. In the meantime,

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<v Speaker 1>this is Laura. Thanks for listening, and here's to making

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<v Speaker 1>the most of our time. Thanks for listening to Before Breakfast.

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<v Speaker 1>If you've got questions, ideas, or feedback, you can reach

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<v Speaker 1>me at Laura at Laura vandercam dot com. Before Breakfast

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<v Speaker 1>is a production of iHeartMedia. For more podcasts from iHeartMedia,

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<v Speaker 1>please visit the iHeartRadio, app, Apple podcasts, or wherever you

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<v Speaker 1>listen to your favorite shows.