March 31, 2026

S3 E8 Tea Tag Musings and Fortune Cookie Dreams

Show Notes
Transcript

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Kick back, settle in, and join Lon and I for The Comforting Voice One Year Anniversary Episode!

Check out the new website! www.ComfortingVoice.com

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WEBVTT

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Good evening and welcome to the Comforting Voice podcast.

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I'm your host, Shasta Ray, and I'm joined in the studio by Emmy the Minimacaw.

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She's sitting here on my desk, and she is ready to be full of spice and attitude and whatever she has in her tonight.

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We have already had an argument about the cigar box and the microphone cable.

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So, right?

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She's in a mood.

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Hello.

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Okay, so I think what's important is before we really dive into this episode, and this is another milestone, huge, huge milestone episode.

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Let's get you off to your sleep prep, let's get you comfortable, and then you're gonna be all primed and ready to fall asleep, to relax, and to just start the day tomorrow fresh as a daisy.

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Oh my gosh.

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Okay, so first off, I always recommend have everything that you need at your fingertips.

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I like to sleep with a bottle of water close by in case I get thirsty.

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Make sure that if you need an extra blanket or an extra pillow, you've got that at your fingertips.

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Get your listening device set at the level that is perfect for you.

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And if you need your teddy bear or your sleep mask, or an extra pair of socks, perhaps.

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Make sure you've got all that going on so you don't have to fidget and look for it later.

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It just makes it a lot easier.

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Sometimes we wake up in the middle of the night and you just need that stuff, right?

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Alright, so then make sure that you've got your pillow all bunched up how you like it so you're comfortable.

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Give yourself a really good productive stretch.

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And while you're stretching, you're reaching your arms, you're reaching your legs, you're getting those muscles engaged in that stretch.

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Reach it all the way into your fingers and toes, and then give them a real quick wiggle.

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Wiggle those fingers and toes and then release that stretch.

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And oh my gosh, that feels good.

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It feels so amazing.

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The relaxation just takes over.

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And then take at least two good deep breaths of air.

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You're gonna want to inhale slow, about the count of four, hold it to about the count of four, and then exhale just a little bit slower, about the count of six.

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Do that at least twice.

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You can even cycle through another stretch and another good, deep, productive breath of air, and that's gonna kick off your relaxation, it's gonna offload some toxicity in the moment, it's gonna offload some tension, some stress, and you're just gonna wake up and you're gonna be like, wow, what happened?

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I don't remember any of that.

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And so while you're doing all that and you're getting comfortable and you're rustling those covers around, this is where I'm gonna just remind you about the new website, comfortingvoice.com.

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I've got a bunch of the main podcast apps all connected.

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So if you're looking for an app or anything, I've got links there for you now.

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Adding new content will always be an ongoing effort for me, but I do have some of my main links there that I've talked about all along.

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I've got the coloring book universe, and by the way, a big shout out to those who have been purchasing the coloring books.

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Oh my gosh, some fun stuff.

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I've got a direct link to my relaxation series and a direct link to the Christmas themed series.

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I will be adding more as time goes, so make sure you check back often if you like coloring books.

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They're all a bold and easy style, they're meant for relaxation.

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Mine are all geared for all ages, all the time, and here again, bold and easy, large print, easy to color, and it's made for just filling in space and getting that dopamine hit when you're just coloring in a space, and there's just something so satisfying about that.

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Anyway, I've got the Simply Satisfying Pattern series and my newly released Simply Satisfying Spaces.

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It is nothing but safe spaces.

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You can just go color them, pretend you're there, let your mind drift, and you've got 40 safe spaces that you can go to any time of the day you want.

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And my coloring books come with a left-hand edition for the lefties out there.

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And for the left-hand editions, the images are on the left side, so it's got an easier page flow.

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Fun stuff, check it out.

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I've got the Buy Me a Coffee link.

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That's where you can get the copy of the Digital Gratitude Journal.

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And last but certainly not least, the Thrive Shop is there.

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You can go grab yourself some Thrive Gear, support the show, and don't forget that that is special pricing.

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And I also have availability for more than just the United States there.

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The Etsy shop, I'm kind of limited to just the United States, but the Thrive Shop is serving many countries around the globe.

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Probably not everyone, but go check it out, see if it works for you.

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And the don't forget that the Thrive Mug, the actual Thrive Mug, is a jumbo 20-ounce mug.

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You can really get your coffee buzz on with that thing.

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I am telling you, that's like two cups of coffee in one.

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I got one for myself.

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Okay.

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Next.

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Emmy the Mini Macaw has been in a little bit of a mood today.

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We had the argument over the cigar box, so I did the quick draw for the tea tag and the fortune cookie slip off microphone because I really didn't want to lose any fingers or anything.

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I didn't.

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She gets very territorial weirdly at weird times, so I just didn't want to push my luck.

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So here's your tea tag for the night.

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Every smile is a direct achievement.

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I like that.

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And your fortune cookie slip.

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You will soon be honored by someone you respect.

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That's always nice.

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And your lucky numbers off of the back of the fortune cookie slip.

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Seven, twenty, twenty-eight, thirty-five, forty-two, and forty-five.

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Okay.

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We're gonna put this in the archive receptacle quickly.

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Before the T-Rex had a chance to get a hold of it.

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Yep, you okay.

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So tonight is our one-year anniversary of this podcast.

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And I've got a special lineup for you.

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Lon sent in a very special clip just for this episode, and I've got some very special trivia for you, kind of like last week, but this is one-year trivia.

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Fun stuff.

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So let's just cut over to Lon for God a minute, and he is going to give you the top 10 countdown of the most popular episodes of the Comforting Voice podcast over the past year.

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And here you go, the top 10 countdown of our most popular episodes of The Comforting Voice.

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Jump right to it.

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Number 10, Season 2, Episode 45, Workplace Survival Skills.

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In number 9 Place, Season 2, Episode 25, Fall Asleep with a Smile.

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That was a Friday night bedtime story.

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Number 8 is Season 1, Episode 36, Chapter 8 of our first book.

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Number 7 comes in at season 1, episode 35, Understanding Your Own Value.

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Coming in at number 6, a catfish to remember.

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And a question that goes out to our host, did you ever hear from your fake Anthony Hopkins?

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Check it out, episode 6, a catfish to remember.

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In number 5 slot, season 2, episode 26, Joy to You and Me.

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Number 4 was also Season 2, Episode 7, a Friday night bedtime story.

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The number 3 spot in the top 10, season 2, episode 31, the best Christmas story ever written.

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Ever.

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In the number two slot, season one, episode 43, Tuesday mishmash, and some new news.

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And in the number one spot of the top ten listened to episodes of The Comforting Voice, Season 1, Episode 21, Things That Make the Soul Breathe Softly.

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We want to thank you for listening to all of those and all of the others as well, and point out that as we speak, our listener base is 66 countries, 437 cities.

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That is so cool, and we thank you for that too.

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The comforting voice Thrive.

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No, I never did hear back from fake Anthony Hopkins.

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And I was a little bit disappointed and bummed that fake Anthony Hopkins never resurfaced.

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Now I did find another account for fake Anthony Hopkins on Telegram that looks like it was all cryptocurrency going on over there, and I think it's a totally defunct account.

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So uh no more fake Anthony Hopkins.

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But yeah, that's one of my very favorite episodes.

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And obviously it's a favorite of everyone else's.

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If you haven't listened to it, go check it out, and all of the other episodes are wildly popular for a reason also.

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Thanks, Lawn, I appreciate it.

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And let's just kind of check in with our next three countries on our listener base list for join the fun.

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So next on our listener base list of locations is India.

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India is home to one of the world's oldest continuous civilizations with a history spanning thousands of years.

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India produces the most spices in the world, giving cuisine globally a rich, flavorful influence.

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India is known for its colorful festivals and traditions that celebrate life, community, and creativity.

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So if you're joining the fun from India, you represent a long vibrant history, global culinary influence, and a culture that celebrates color, connection, and creativity.

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Next on our list of listeners is New Zealand.

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New Zealand is famous for its stunning natural landscapes from mountains to beaches that inspire adventure and creativity.

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New Zealand is one of the first countries in the world to grant women the right to vote, showing a history of progressive values.

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New Zealand has a strong culture of outdoor living and environmental care, making nature a central part of daily life.

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So if you're joining the fund from New Zealand, you represent natural beauty, forward thinking values, and a culture that embraces both adventure and care for the environment.

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That's so cool.

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And last for today, South Africa.

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South Africa is known as the Rainbow Nation for its incredible diversity of cultures, languages, and traditions.

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South Africa is home to iconic wildlife and breathtaking natural wonders, including mountains, coastlines, and savannas.

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South Africa has a rich artistic and music culture that has influenced the world in many, many ways.

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So if you're joining the fun from South Africa, you represent diversity, stunning landscapes, and a culture full of creativity, resilience, and vibrancy.

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Join the fun has quickly become my favorite new segment.

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I have really been enjoying looking and seeing where everyone is from.

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And then just a really fun quick correction to Lon because he recorded that a number of days ago, and we have already added more people to the listener base.

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So we're actually up to 67 countries and 445 cities.

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There is so many of you, and this has been such a fun podcast adventure so far.

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I've done three other podcasts in the past, very, very, very niche.

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They never got very big, but I had a very loyal listener base.

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But they were so niche that I just didn't get a very big listener base.

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So it's really kind of cool just to have something a little bit more generalized, not such a hard focus on one tiny little thing, and just hanging out with everyone, not talking about negative stuff that makes the world more stressful.

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So thanks for joining the fun every week, each and every one of you.

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And I can't wait to find out what the upcoming year has in store for all of us.

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Now just to celebrate our one year anniversary together, I have prepared some trivia about one year and anniversaries and things of that nature.

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Just kind of a good old mishmash for the mishmash Tuesday.

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So in the name of celebrating the oddity of time, let's start off by discussing what is a year.

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A year is three hundred and sixty five days, it is fifty two weeks, it is eight thousand seven hundred and sixty hours or five hundred twenty five thousand six hundred minutes.

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A year is literally a tiny planet spinning around a giant ball of gas in a vast cosmos.

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It's kind of mind blowing when you think about it.

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The concept of one year, our year is based on our planet's orbit around the sun.

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But did you know that a year is not exactly three hundred and sixty five days?

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It's actually three hundred sixty five point two four two five days.

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That's why we have a leap year every four years.

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It's just a little tweak in the centuries because without this correction, our seasons would just drift and eventually we would be celebrating Christmas in July.

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That would be kind of weird.

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Let's talk about our neighbors in our solar system and what a year looks like to them.

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So a year for the planet Mercury is only eighty-eight Earth days.

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A year for the planet Venus is two hundred and twenty-five Earth days, but oddly enough, a day on Venus is longer than its year.

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That's kind of messed up.

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When we talk about Mars, a Mars year is six hundred and eighty-seven Earth days.

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A Jupiter year equals approximately twelve Earth years.

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As we get further and further away we come to Saturn, a Saturn year is twenty nine point five Earth years.

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The planet Uranus, its year equals eighty-four Earth years.

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And Neptune, Neptune's year is one hundred and sixty-five Earth years.

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And then last but not least on the lineup of planets is Pluto, the dwarf planet.

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It has a very, very long year compared to Earth because it's so far away from the Sun.

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A Pluto year, one orbit around the sun for Pluto takes two hundred and forty-eight Earth years.

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And a little fun extra trivia about Pluto, its orbit is very elliptical, so sometimes it's actually closer to the sun than Neptune, and sometimes it's much further away from the Sun.

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That makes its seasons extremely uneven, and a single Pluto summer or winter can last decades in Earth time.

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And that's pretty incredible to think about that it would take several human lives just to equal one Pluto year.

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That's amazing.

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Let's move right along to anniversaries and their symbolism.

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So typically, like as far as marital anniversaries, wedding anniversaries goes, the first anniversary is traditionally paper as a gift.

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And why paper?

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Paper symbolizes fragility and flexibility, just like a new endeavor or a new relationship.

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A modern twist on the first year anniversary gift theme would be clocks or any other type of time themed gift, and that's because it's just like a countdown or a reference to the first year.

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And in Japan, some cultures celebrate the half anniversary, the six month mark.

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The psychology of celebrating milestones.

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Humans love milestones because they give us a sense of progress and accomplishment.

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Milestones, like celebrating a one year anniversary of any sort, tricks your brain into releasing dopamine, making you feel like you've leveled up.

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Some psychologists say that even small celebrations like a one year podcast anniversary boost long-term motivation.

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Here's a weird twist.

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Some studies suggest that over celebrating arbitrary milestones can create pressure and stress, so moderation is key.

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And here are some odd traditions around the one year anniversary concept.

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Paper is everywhere, paper hearts, paper letters, journals, origami.

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In the United States, people used to give pottery or clay for the first anniversary because it was fragile, sort of like the first year of marriage, I guess.

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In South Korea, couples celebrate monthly anniversaries, one month, two months, three months, all the way up to one hundred months.

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Some medieval European traditions used candle rituals to mark the first year of marriage.

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Basically it was setting fire to your milestone.

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And here's some more fun one year trivia.

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There is a calendar year, a fiscal year, a school year, a dog year, a cat year, and none of them line up perfectly.

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Dog years are roughly seven per human year.

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So this podcast, for example, would be seven years old in dog years.

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I guess the giant dog is seven years older.

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The Chinese zodiac uses a 12-year cycle.

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And people known as a leap year baby, or people that are born on leap year, officially only have a birthday once every four years.

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Now that doesn't mean they only age one year in that four years, it just means their birthday only comes around once every four years.

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Isn't that funny?

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Usually those those folks celebrate their birthday either on February 28th or March 1st in those instances.

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Now here's some interesting trivia about time.

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Time seems faster as we get older.

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The first year of anything always feels the longest because everything is new.

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Philosophers argue that one year is a human invention, because nature just doesn't care.

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A fun thought, if you measured a year in heartbeats instead of days, the rhythm changes depending on your excitement levels.

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So here's some miscellaneous off-beat facts about time.

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Saturn's rings might disappear in a few hundred million years.

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The Gregorian calendar, which is the one we use, is only 500 years old, meaning humans have been celebrating years differently over time.

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A light year is not a year at all.

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It's a measure of distance.

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And then just a closing thought, milestones aren't just numbers, they're reminders that you kept going.

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Even if the year felt weird, long, or short, you made it.

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And as far as this podcast goes, this past year has been a blast for me.

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I love doing this show, it really does my heart good, and I'm so looking forward to hanging out with you for the upcoming next year.

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That's all I've got for tonight.

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I hope you've had fun celebrating with me.

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I hope your week is off to a great start, and I'll see you back here on Friday for Vintage Bedtime Stories.

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I'm currently reading Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, and we're gonna be starting chapter five.

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Until then, sleep tight, good night, and bye bye.