Second Cup: Give the gift of time

Build your community and relationships this holiday season

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 Breakfast podcast. Today's
tip is to consider how you can give the gift
of time. Far more than a gift card. The gift
of time can help nurture relationships and build community. I

(00:26):
decided to do an episode on this topic after hearing
from a Before Breakfast listener who had thoughts on an
earlier episode we did on having too much time. The
listener noted that people whose schedules open up because they're
between jobs or retired, or who children have grown are
often advised to volunteer. That's a great idea, but the

(00:47):
listener reminded me that volunteer opportunities don't have to be formal.
For instance, she decided to take on some kid driving
duties for a busy family. She knew the kids got
to spend special time with someone who is like an
aunt to them, and the parents got a break. Time
can be an incredible gift in many ways. It's more

(01:08):
valuable than money or things, because while you can make
more money, you cannot make more time. The richest person
on the planet still has just twenty four hours in
a day. Once a second is gone, all the money
in the world cannot buy it back. I know that
sounds daunting and maybe like we should hoard our time,
But as with money, having a mentality of abundance can

(01:32):
actually make us feel rich. While philanthropists are technically giving
their money away, they're building the world they want to see,
which makes them feel wealthier. Not everyone has money, but
all of us do have time. By thinking of yourself
as a time philanthropist, you can seek out opportunities to

(01:52):
invest your time in building the community you'd like to inhabit.
So if you've got time you can give. Become a
time detective. Who in your community needs help, who's struggling
to cope with their responsibilities in the twenty four hours
we have each day. Maybe a single parent in your
neighborhood could really use a break. She might not ask,

(02:16):
but you can offer. Maybe someone with a new baby
would welcome the opportunity to hand over the other children
for a few hours. Maybe a family with two working
parents facing the stress of making a daycare pickup with
the vagaries of traffic would love to have you on
call for those days when the interstate is backed up
for miles Maybe a neighbor who works an hour away

(02:37):
would welcome your offer to check on an aging parent
if there's ever an issue like that parent isn't picking
up the phone. You could offer to drive someone whose
car is broken down to the grocery store. There are
plenty of needs when you look, but you can also
think about giving the gift of time in general, perhaps
as a substitute for more traditional gifts. Instead of giving

(02:59):
a relation to a sweater, take her as your guest
to the art museum for the afternoon. Instead of giving
a friend a plant for her birthday, offer to do
a few additional carpool runs. If you're pressed for time,
this won't work. None of us can give more than
we actually have. But if you're in a stage of
life where there is more time, all of these ideas

(03:21):
will nurture your relationships and build your community. And here's
the even better part of gifts like these. If you
come into a time squeeze yourself, people will remember and
they'll pay it back. In that sense, the gift of
time isn't really a gift. It's more like banking time
for the future. In the meantime, this is Laura, Thanks

(03:46):
for listening. And here's to making the most of our time.
Hey everybody, I'd love to hear from you. You can
send me your tips, your questions, or anything else. Just
connect with me on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram at Before
Breakfast Pod. That's b E the number four then Breakfast pod.

(04:13):
You can also shoot me an email at Before Breakfast
podcast at iHeartMedia dot com that Before Breakfast is spelled
out with all the letters. Thanks so much, should I
look forward to staying in touch. Before Breakfast is a
production of iHeartRadio. For more podcasts from iHeartRadio, visit the

(04:35):
iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to your
favorite shows.