Don't be surprised by ants at a picnic

Little annoyances are often predictable, so plan for them

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:03):
Welcome to Before Breakfast, a production of iHeartRadio. Good Morning,
This is Laura. Welcome to the Before a Breakfast podcast.
Today's tip is don't be surprised by ants at a picnic.
Ants that a picnic are annoying, but they are absolutely predictable.

(00:26):
There is no point being shocked or bothered by their appearance. Likewise,
there are many metaphorical ants at our picnics in life.
If something is going to be a predictable annoyance, just
plan for it and you will feel a lot less stressed.

(00:47):
So we have all sorts of situations in life that
feature their own versions of ants at a picnic. If
you've got small kids, for instance, you know that many
adventures with them need to be cut short. Sometimes you
get lucky and your kid is entertained by the zoo
for three hours, but it is just as likely that

(01:09):
they will look at the turtles and monkeys and then
decide that they are done. This is a good reason
to buy a membership so you can go for a
short period of time and not worry about how much
you paid for your thirty minute trip. Similarly, if you
fly a lot, you know that flights can be delayed.

(01:29):
You are probably wise not to plan anything that absolutely
has to happen and cannot be moved for the moment
you land. If you are hosting an arts and craft's
birthday party for an eight year old in your home,
there will be fun and there will be a mess.
There is no point being surprised or hovering over the

(01:51):
children trying to limit their use of glitter. You will
just need to relax and then come behind them with
a vacuum cleaner later. Sometimes you don't know what aunts
to expect at a picnic, but other people might. If
your doctor has prescribed a new medicine to deal with
an issue that has been bugging you, you can ask
if there are any side effects you should expect and

(02:13):
how to manage them. There is probably something, and you
can save yourself a lot of worry by knowing that
a lot of people get a rash. It is not
just you, I think in general, it is wise to
be aware of what could be annoying and think through
how you would deal with it. This isn't being a

(02:34):
pessimist or worrywart. This is about being aware so little
annoyances don't ruin everything. If you are wearing new shoes
to a friend's wedding, you just put a back up
pair of shoes in the car. That way, when the
shoes don't feel as amazing as they look, you still

(02:55):
get to dance. It's all good in the end. In
the meantime, this is Laura. Thanks for listening, and here's
to making the most of our time. Thanks for listening

(03:16):
to Before Breakfast. If you've got questions, ideas, or feedback,
you can reach me at Laura at Laura vandercam dot com.
Before Breakfast is a production of iHeartMedia. For more podcasts
from iHeartMedia, please visit the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or

(03:38):
wherever you listen to your favorite shows.