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Speaker 1: Welcome to Before Breakfast, a production of iHeartRadio. Good Morning,

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Speaker 1: This is Laura. Welcome to the Before Breakfast podcast. Today's

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Speaker 1: tip is to be intentional about encountering and building relationships

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Speaker 1: with people whose experiences are different from yours. In life,

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Speaker 1: it can be easy to live in a bubble, but

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Speaker 1: consciously bursting that bubble can make life more interesting. One

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Speaker 1: of the more fascinating demographic trends these days is just

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Speaker 1: how much people sort themselves into very similar communities. There

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Speaker 1: are the political implications, of course, as the US has

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Speaker 1: different states becoming known as red states or blue states,

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Speaker 1: plenty of folks don't know many people who vote differently

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Speaker 1: than they do, even though obviously millions of people make

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Speaker 1: those choices. But beyond that, people sort on other factors

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Speaker 1: as well. For instance, if you have a professional degree,

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Speaker 1: which I know many of my listeners do, you might

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Speaker 1: not have many close friends who didn't go to college.

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Speaker 1: Your children most likely know children from other similar backgrounds,

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Speaker 1: and I know there are reasons for such sorting. But

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Speaker 1: even if your job and neighborhood are what they are,

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Speaker 1: it is possible to make some excursions outside the bubble.

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Speaker 1: Doing so reminds us that people have lots of different experiences.

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Speaker 1: So alongside your professional organization, which naturally has people with

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Speaker 1: the exact same job, as you join a civic organization

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Speaker 1: that recruits more broadly, if nothing else. As you meet

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Speaker 1: and volunteer together, you will meet people in different lines

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Speaker 1: of work and who might be at different life stages

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Speaker 1: from you. Many houses of worship draw their members from

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Speaker 1: all walks of life, which is great. Join the choir

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Speaker 1: or the church softball team and get to know people

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Speaker 1: you wouldn't otherwise. That said, if your house of worship

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Speaker 1: is a bit more homogeneous, maybe it is time to

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Speaker 1: partner with a like minded church in a different neighborhood

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Speaker 1: to do some projects together, or field that joint softball team.

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Speaker 1: If you visit community institutions, you don't necessarily have to

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Speaker 1: visit the ones in your exact community. Many towns libraries

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Speaker 1: have multiple branches, and if you can return your books anywhere,

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Speaker 1: why not check out the story time and class options

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Speaker 1: at a different branch. One of the reasons I love

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Speaker 1: my YMCA is that the clientele is more diverse than

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Speaker 1: the clientele I have encountered at other gyms. This is

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Speaker 1: true for the group fitness classes there as well, so

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Speaker 1: those could be worth checking out. Cast a slightly broader

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Speaker 1: net with the restaurants you visit for lunch. It doesn't

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Speaker 1: have to just be that upscale sandwich spot in your

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Speaker 1: office building. Even a coffee shop represents a choice, and

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Speaker 1: going somewhere a little different occasionally can remind you that

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Speaker 1: the world is a varied place, plus that diner's coffee

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Speaker 1: might be slightly cheaper. I'm just suggesting it. Even our

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Speaker 1: online communities can become bubbles, but they don't have to be.

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Speaker 1: I am not saying you need to expose yourself to

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Speaker 1: strident voices, but ask around to find who your friends

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Speaker 1: and colleagues consider to be the most thoughtful voices with

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Speaker 1: differing opinions. You might try seeking out and following a

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Speaker 1: few bloggers or influencers or podcasters whose lives differ in

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Speaker 1: significant ways from yours. These days, our life bubbles can

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Speaker 1: have walls that are a lot thicker than actual soap bubbles.

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Speaker 1: And that's not necessarily because we are actively trying to

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Speaker 1: limit interaction. It's just what tends to be easiest. If

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Speaker 1: you spend most of your time working or caring for

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Speaker 1: your kids, then you probably don't see that many people

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Speaker 1: outside your extended family and neighbors and colleagues. Anyway, it

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Speaker 1: does take effort, but at least from time to time,

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Speaker 1: maybe it is worth that effort, if for no other

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Speaker 1: reason than to remember what the broader world is like.

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Speaker 1: In the meantime, This is Laura. Thanks for listening, and

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Speaker 1: here's to making the most of our time. Hey, everybody,

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Speaker 1: I'd love to hear from you. You can send me

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Speaker 1: your tips, your questions, or anything else. Just connect with

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Speaker 1: me on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram at Before Breakfast pod

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

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Speaker 1: You can also shoot me an email at Before Breakfast

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Speaker 1: Podcasts at iHeartMedia dot com. That Before Breakfast is spelled

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Speaker 1: out with all the letters. Thanks so much. Should I

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Speaker 1: look forward to staying in touch. Before Breakfast is a

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Speaker 1: production of iHeartRadio. For more podcasts from iHeartRadio, visit the

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Speaker 1: iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to your

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Speaker 1: favorite shows. Don't I can't get I get