Something to talk about

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:03):
Welcome to Before Breakfast, a production of I Heart Radio.
Good Morning. This is Laura. Welcome to the Before Breakfast podcast.
Today's tip is to find a hobby. Not only is
a hobby fun, it makes you a much more interesting
person should anyone wind up talking to you. Certain things

(00:28):
we do because we have to work assignments, caring for
family members. Hobbies, on the other hand, are done solely
for fun. Whittling, playing an instrument as an adult, gardening,
scrap booking puzzles. Usually they involve a little bit of
skill and so can wind up putting you in a

(00:48):
state of flow, that magical place where things are difficult
but doable, and so time can seem to stand still.
This is an apparently fun and if time diary studies
are to be believed, a lot more fun than passively
sure like watching TV. But beyond that, hobbies solve a

(01:11):
common problem. We all wind up needing to make small talk.
From time to time we talk about the weather, We
inevitably asked what people have been up to, and that's
when the conversation often stops because the answer is often
nothing much. What do you do with that? Okay, I

(01:31):
guess I've been up to nothing much too, but a
hobby gives you something a little different to talk about.
So my friend and I have been building a vegetable
garden in my backyard, or my husband and I are
taking an online photography class, or I just learned how
to play Happy Birthday on the ukulele. These all offer
opportunities for back and forth. You report on how you've

(01:52):
been learning Spanish on a language app, and your conversation
partner can then talk about her family's trip two years
ago to Spain, or how her and started a Spanish
language tutoring business. There are just so many more possible
avenues then not much, which is the conversational equivalent of
a dead end. So think about how you'd like to

(02:13):
answer the question of what have you been up to?
My guess is that you already have some ideas of
fun things you'd like to pick back up. But if not, well,
time to start experimenting. Ask around, what do friends and
family do in their spare time? Bird watching, embroidery, who knows?
Scroll through lists of online classes. You might find a

(02:34):
new kind of craft or music, or an activity like
magic tricks that you hadn't considered it before. Peruse any
listings on bulletin boards at your library or community center
or house of worship. Maybe there's a group for edgy
quilters that meets by zoom on Tuesday nights and can
recommend how to get started and the best places for materials.

(02:55):
Go ahead and crowdsource on social media. What do other
people like? I wound up buying a knife throwing set
for my thirteen year old and me so we can
improve our knife throwing skills after a blog reader suggested it.
You never know when we might get drafted into the
Hunger Games. In general, the less stuff your hobby requires,

(03:15):
the better convenience. Trump's most things in life. And it
is easier to pull out cross stitching than uneasil, a
canvas and some oil paints. If the hobby can be
done in bits of time, even better. That's why a
lot of people are taking up foreign languages with duo
Lingo or Rosetta Stone. All those little bits of practice
add up. But in any case, all this time at

(03:38):
home not doing much is starting to make people feel
not just bored, but boring. And I don't want people
to be boring. I want you to have something to
talk about when you've got those awkward five minutes before
your zoom meeting officially starts. When you've got a hobby
that you're really into, well, the question what you've done

(04:00):
lately won't stump you at all, and you know you'll
have a lot of fun in the meantime. This is Laura.
Thanks for listening, and here's to making the most of
our time. Hey, everybody, I'd love to hear from you.

(04:23):
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 the number four, then Breakfast
p o D. You can also shoot me an email
at Before Breakfast podcast at i heeart media dot com.
That Before Breakfast is spelled out with all the letters.

(04:46):
Thanks so much, I look forward to staying in touch.
Before Breakfast is a production of I Heart Radio. For
more podcasts from my heart Radio, visit the i Heart
Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to your
favorite shows. M