This is it

Life isn’t just about checking things off a list

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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 that this is it. You are not
racing to a destination. You are living your life. So

(00:27):
rather than getting too caught up in the next thing's logistics,
be present and enjoy things when you possibly can. Today's
tip comes from cookbook author Jenny Rosenstratch, who blogs at Dinner,
a Love Story and Cup of Joe. One of her cookbooks,
How to Celebrate Everything, offers recipes for holidays, birthdays, family rituals,

(00:52):
and family dinner. In a blog post explaining why she
wrote the book, she describes real lising the importance of
noticing everyday life when everything seems to be going by
so fast. This is not a race to the finish line,
she realized, this is it. I get that it is

(01:17):
so easy to get caught up in the business of
all the stuff we need to do for our families
that we sometimes forget to enjoy ourselves and enjoy them.
It is truly lovely to make a flawless dinner for
your best friend's birthday, or to decorate a Christmas tree
that looks like it came out of a magazine. But

(01:38):
sometimes in the process we get distracted from the people
and get consumed by the projects. If you ever feel
that way, then maybe you can try repeating these words.
This is not a race, this is it, or simply
this is it. The party is not so much about

(01:58):
the intricate decor as it is about bringing people together
and enjoying the experience of having them there. Holiday events
and all their logistics, they're not about planning them and
then crossing them off a list. It's ideally about enjoying
them and creating memories. Now, I do want to acknowledge
that I am not downplaying the importance of logistics. Someone

(02:23):
does have to do the work of planning and figuring
out the details. A party maybe about bringing people together,
but folks are going to be mad if there's no food,
and they will be annoyed if there is nowhere to sit.
My kids got to do a lot of wonderful things
over the holidays, from seeing shows and lights and trains

(02:45):
to travel. None of that was magic. It happened because
I did the work to make it happen. And sometimes
it is a wee bit stressful to make everything happen.
I do not react well if someone would then tell me, oh,
logistics don't matter, just be present and focus on the magic.

(03:07):
No that's said. During each event, I did try to
notice and see the highlights, the kids laughing as they
ran through a Christmas light tunnel, or my little guy
sitting on Santa's lap for the first time. I made
sure to build in things that I enjoyed too, like
a solo night at a botanical garden decked out for

(03:29):
the holidays and singing the Messiah choruses. I made sure
to notice and savor my favorite part of The Nutcracker,
when the snowflakes dance at the end of the first act, because,
after all, this is it, this is life. I know

(03:51):
many people listening to this podcast do a lot of
work for their families, their communities, and their employees to
make wonderful things happen. From the exciting birthday party to
the retreat where you got those breakthrough ideas. None of
it is magic. But as we figure out all the
logistical steps of these processes, maybe we can add as

(04:15):
a last step to notice and enjoy experience the fun
of a new employee being folded into a community. See
the kid connect with a new friend who came to
the party. It is not a race to get through
these things. This is it the best to experience it

(04:38):
as much as possible. 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 it.
You can send me your tips, your quest jens or

(05:00):
anything else. Just connect with me on Twitter, Facebook and
Instagram at Before Breakfast Pod that's b E 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. Thanks so much, I look forward to staying

(05:23):
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.