Midlife Mommas: A Girlfriends Approach to Life After Menopause

Investments & Treasures: When our efforts match our midlife values

August 07, 2024 Amelia & Cam Season 3 Episode 166

What do you value?
Does how you spend your time reflect those values?
Join Cam and Amelia as we take a honest look at what we value and how we demonstrate those values. We want you to be intentional about your life and your actions.
 
00:00 Time is precious, invest it wisely for rewards.
06:00 Empathic person comforted 12-year-old in distress.
08:22 Acknowledging and investing in others reaps rewards.
10:59 Sharing experiences, treasures, and joy in life.
13:08 Discussing health investments and expectations for outcomes.
18:40 Healthy habits improved energy and sleep quality.
21:56 Importance of sleep and self-discovery process.
23:17 Reunion with husband, enjoyed hot meal and cocktail.
27:27 Unfinished projects steal joy, complete for happiness.
29:55 Investing in rest and recovery is important.

In this episode, you'll hear:

1. The Limited Nature of Time: We emphasize the importance of intentional investment and share personal experiences about investing time and energy in family relationships.

2. Unveiling Treasures: Explore the concept of treasures as things truly valued, with our health being a top priority. We discuss the relationship between investments and expectations, highlighting the need for intentionality and consistency.

3. Making Conscious Choices: We prioritize creating an uncluttered and aesthetically pleasing environment that impacts mental well-being. Additionally, we share the importance of investing in activities that promote good mental and physical health.

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Amelia

Cam

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Hi. I'm Kim, holistic health coach, mom to 2 humans and 4 pets. Hi. I'm Amelia, laboratory scientist by day and food scientist by night. Welcome to our show. Join us as we share our holistic approach to life after 50. You can expect real life stories with a dash of humor and a ton of truth. If it happens in midlife, we're going to talk about it. So hit that subscribe button and follow along. We're the midlife mamas. What is going on? Did we win? Did we win? That's a great question. Sha ching, Sha ching. We certainly would like to. This is gonna be a really interesting topic, Cam. I'm I'm super interested in this. This this came up for me, as I was traveling last week for work. So today, we're gonna talk about what we invest in in order to receive whatever reward or treasure that is. And what's the tie, and how do we decide what to invest in? Yeah. And we're not talking about money investments or stock market. Yes, that is a form of investment, but we are talking about investment in our health and our relationships and the other things that we talk about often on this show. Yeah. Absolutely. And I wanna point out just to frame this up is that we all have 24 hours in a day. So one of the most limited resources we have is time. And so investing your time in something, I would hope that you want to get something out of it, but that's kind of another aspect of this talk. Is the time that we spend intentional, or are we doing what we think we should do? And what is the result? What is the reward or or treasure that we receive as a result of that investment? Yeah. And if it's out of guilt and then it's like the shoulding all over yourself that we've talked about before. So I'm really curious. Like, we can get more money, but we can never get more time. Like, time is once it's gone, it's gone. Right? That that's right. And opportunities as a kind of a secondary, idea to time, an opportunity that is passed may be the end of that. You know? I mean, I think there's some in some ways, you can recreate opportunity, but there you gotta face the fact that if you bypass some opportunities, you may not have that again. Mhmm. Yeah. You can get more of these things. You can get more health, get more money, get more. But time, once it's gone, it's gone. Yeah. I think that we have to think about, how we spend our efforts. And I don't know, Cam, whether we think about how we spend our efforts first and then think about the result, or if we should think first about these are the things I want, these are the treasures, these are the rewards, and then figure out how to make those investments of time, energy, or whatever. Well, I mean, for goal setting, you could either way. Like, if you know your ultimate goal, what would you like in life? What would you like for it to look like and feel like? What would you like to be doing? And then reverse engineer it. That's certainly one way to get there for sure. Yeah. Absolutely. Well, when I was making my list, I started with the investments. Now I don't know if that was the correct way, but after time, I do have energy and money and energy, money, and actions because I personally have a limited amount of that stuff. And I don't know if other people feel that way, But, you know, these are things that I'm willing to invest in something. A 100%. I agree with you on that. Energy, I definitely have a limited amount of energy for sure. And I think, I mean, we could tie this to, love languages, like the gift of time. Quality time is, like, high on my list, or words of affirmation, like spending good time with somebody outweighs a gift for sure for me. And so I would spend I would be more likely to spend energy and time with somebody because they're so valuable. For me, it's limited. Those things are limited for me. And though that's where I would spend my effort. Yeah. And I've got relationships on my list too as far as investments, Cam. It's also a treasure. Right? Your your loved ones are your treasure. But because I'm so performance focused, a lot of times, I have to remind myself to make that investment, to make the investment of time. Like, yesterday, we went to see my mother-in-law. I've been I've been gone for a week. And I knew it was gonna be a little bit painful. We're getting ready to move her into retirement center, and she's very anxious about it. And so her her investment, good or bad right now, is is I shouldn't say good or bad, to me it's bad. She's investing in this anxiety, and she's having a really, really hard time overcoming it, and finding ways to get out of her own mind. So for me, investing time in her in this relationship was somewhat painful. But even though it was a should for me, I felt very compelled. Like, there was something in it for both of us, and I felt like it wasn't just that I should do it. It was necessary. Mhmm. Do you ever feel like you're put in situations because you're meant to be there? Is that what you're saying? Like yeah. Uh-huh. Oh, yeah. I feel that all the time. I feel, my mother calls it, led to do something or led not to do something. And almost always, when I follow that that yearning, that internal compass, things turn out for the better. You know, I might not know it immediately, but there's a positive impact. Mhmm. We were at a concert Friday night, and we were next to this, quote, unquote, family. And the mom did something that was controversial, and the daughter, who was probably 12, reacted, and I could feel her pain, Amelia. And I was like, why am I here? Why am I observing this? And at some point, I leaned over to her and I said, are you okay? To the mom or to the daughter? Oh, no. To the 12 year old because the mom was lying to me like a mom. And I don't even know if it was the mom. I'm not really sure what the situation was. But as an empathic person, I could feel this little this 12 year old's pain. I can feel her sadness because of what mom was doing or acting how anyway. And I was like, why am I here? Why why am I in this situation? And I felt compelled to talk to this girl without, like, alarming the parents, quote, unquote parents that were, you know, a few people down. But at one point, I talked to her twice, and I said, are you okay? And she goes, yes. I'm okay. Thank you. And then later I said, you know, I don't know what's going on, but I've said a prayer for you. And this situation, I don't know what happened, Amelia. Then I start crying, but hold on. Let let's go back to the story. I said, I don't know what what's going on, but I I said a prayer for you. And when things get tough, I want you to lean on your brother. She was with her older brother, and I don't even know. And then I then Dan left to go to the bathroom, and I'm standing there crying during the concert. I don't know if she knew that or not, but as they left, they left, like, with one song left. She looked at me and she said, thank you. And then the the boy, the son who was older, looked at me and said, thank you. And I was like, okay. Why am I here? I said the right thing, I guess. I don't know. I don't know. But I invested my energy in her. I hope she understands what a beautiful person she is and that that her, quote, unquote, parents don't define her. I don't know. Yeah. That is an amazing story. And, I mean, I I don't feel that I'm empathic, but I do love that you you are and that you took that opportunity. My situations are different. I feel like this conversation is taking a somewhat of a different turn to the better, honestly. But, you know, I was away on business last week, and there were a couple of situations where, things needed to be solved, I e someone perceived a problem. And just this knowing of what I could offer was there. Mhmm. And it turned out okay. Things turned out okay. We were missing some headsets that should have been shipped to the conference, and and we ended up having to have them overnighted, and it was fine. There was a lot of people that were pretty up tight that they hadn't seen them. And so, you know, just little things like that. Another thing was one of the instruments we were showing wasn't behaving like we thought. So I pulled together a call. Turned out it was fine. We had a little powwow. This is what this is what's happening, and this is what we're gonna do. But when you pay attention to what's happening around you, and in my situation, these were business associates that were feeling anxious, and I could tell it. Mhmm. Just kind of saying, this is what we're gonna do, and you kind of did the same thing. So this investing in other people is a real thing, and they don't even based on our each of our stories, they don't even have to be people you know. Mhmm. You know, yours wasn't anyone you knew, but you knew that that child needed some reinforcements, which is amazing. Yeah. And days later, it's still on my mind. So yesterday, it was really on my mind. It's only it's on my mind less today. But, again, I've talked about it a few times, including right now. But I think anytime you invest in a human in their well-being or whatever, solving problems like you did, I think investing in relationships, the energy it takes, the time it takes is always worth the investment. Psst. Hey you. Have your workout stopped working? There are a few things I need to tell you. Hey there. It's Cam. And I'm here to guide you through a few simple actionable steps that will actually transform your health. And believe it or not, you'll actually see results from your efforts. Learn how to get fit and energized with a free on demand masterclass called the 4 keys that unlock menopause fitness. If you're ready to take control of your journey, click on the link in the show notes for this free masterclass now. Okay. I'll see you in class. Yeah. I agree. And I have to remind myself of that because sometimes when there's a task, sometimes I focus solely on the task to the detriment of the relationship of the peep you know, with the people involved. And so I have to be really careful. I think you're much better at that because you recognize this. As as you said, you're an empathic person, but I agree with you. I think that's why humans are put on to on the earth in community is we do crave that community and, the affection, but also the support that we get from one another. Yeah. The other thing we're gonna talk about is treasures, and I put in our group shared notes here, Amelia. So as a former Catholic school teacher, share your time, talent, and treasures was literally beat into our head, and there was a sense of guilt and you should do this, and we're gonna pay you nothing, and you're gonna be a teacher and change the world for these kids. So I just wanna say that the word treasures triggers me from back in my Catholic school days. I love that you shared that because I wouldn't have known that, and I'd be really interested if some of our listeners have a similar experience with that word. I mean, I chose it. It is biblical. You know, when we talk about that, just as you stated from your Catholic school experiment experience, but I think it's a stronger word than reward. And a treasure doesn't have to be something we earn. We think about the word reward as something we're earning, but a treasure is maybe something that that that it brings us joy that maybe we don't earn. And so some of the things for me that are treasures like loved ones, I didn't earn that. You know? They're just there, and I appreciate them. And that's kinda why I like the word, but I totally get that for some people, it may not be so, you know, maybe use a different word. I'm not sure what the word would be. But whatever you know, the point is is these things, you know, that you get in return for an investment of time, energy, could be money, thoughts, actions. But, what are, you know, loved ones, what are some of the other things that you treasure or value? Maybe that's what we call it. Yeah. So that's the word I was thinking, Emilia. I feel like treasures are things that you truly value. Yeah. And I think the concept behind the Catholic school teachers giving away their time, talent, and treasures and not making a living wage for 15 years. Let's just be clear. You know, I think it's really what you value. It's really giving others what you value or giving your time, your energy. So it could be also your investment. So they kind of blur for me. Yeah. I get it. What but what are some of those things for you? What are those values? I mean, health has to be on the top of the list. I'm willing to spend energy, time, and money to chase my ideal health because I live without it. I know what it feels like to have thyroid problems and being exhausted or, you know, the hysterectomy and the fibroids. I know what it feels like to be in the toilet. So so anytime I can spend time, energy, or money, or resources, whatever, I value my health very much for sure. What's on your list? And I love I I do too. I'll I'll tell you in a minute, but I wanna kinda stick on that health point for just a second because this brings up another aspect of this conversation I wanted to get into anyway, which is, you know, if we say we value health, are we making the investments to be healthy? And I know you are because I know you, but I I Mhmm. I feel like there's a conversation that needs to happen within ourselves about the relationship between what we're investing and what we expect the outcome. You've told this story a bunch of times about the girls who used to come to the CrossFit gym that wanted this instant, like, I don't I can't remember what the exercise is, but they just wanted it immediately. It was pull ups. Okay. And they wanted to do pull ups, like, immediately. Right. But the investment wasn't there. And so that's where I'm kinda like, we need to be clear with ourselves. And I don't think that it's linear, and I don't think that your investment is the same as matter has to be given the value. That's why I really wanna like people to think about this because if you're not intentional, you may be investing the wrong things or you may be not aligned with your values. Mhmm. And I think for me, I it kind of came to me. Investments is what you do consistently is what I would say. What are you consistently doing? How are you consistently showing up for yourself? And I'm gonna turn it inward, I guess. And so, you know, if I'm showing up consistently for myself, what does that look like health wise? You know, right now we're doing a challenge. I'm starting my day with a savory breakfast versus something sweet. And I've really broken the sweet habit. We've talked about our eighties breakfast, you know, a bagel and orange juice and peace out. Let's go have a sugar spike and crash on the way to school. But just little things like that. What do I do most days? You know? That that's how I would define health. That's wonderful. And for me, one of the things I did last week, speaking of food, I started my day, every morning while I was in Chicago with a protein shake, and I I didn't have the fruit and the vegetables in it to be a smoothie, but at least I started with that 20 grams of protein, and it really helped. I really I gotta be honest with you. I'm actually surprised at how well my diet was while I was traveling. It was almost accidental, but I shouldn't admit that when we're talking about investments. You know, I went to the grocery store the 1st day. I got some fruits, and vegetables, some meat, and, you know, I just stuck with that. Like, I really didn't go out to eat. But anyway but for me also during that time, the investment was reframing or at least challenging my thought processes. Because when I went to this conference last year, it was my first one, and there was everything was new, and I stayed relatively on edge the whole time waiting for the other shoe to drop. And this year, I just didn't do that. You know, I took each day as it came. I asked for help. I accepted help when it was offered. And I just didn't worry about, like, these headsets not showing up. We did what we needed to do, but I didn't think backwards and think I should have known. I should have realized it before now. I just let it go. And that was amazing, Cam. Like, that took I felt so much more mentally acute and able to handle it because I wasn't worrying. It's crazy. Mhmm. And I would like to challenge that it was an accident that you had a healthy business trip. I mean, you went to the grocery store. You chose to go to the grocery store. You chose to go to the grocery store. You picked up those foods. You chose to eat in most days. Like, those are choices. And in a recent episode, we talked about literally you can make a choice and change your mind at any point. It doesn't have to be wait until Monday, start it on a Monday. Or the Sunday scaries, like, oh, no. I've messed up for 3 days, now I gotta fix it. We don't have to do that. You can, like, literally change your mind. So let's talk about how this trip was different from last trip. So last trip, did you go and get groceries? You know, I did, but my thoughts were so focused on what could go wrong instead of being focused on what was going right. That was the challenge. Mhmm. Last year, I lost a credit card. Not that that's of any consequence. I handled it actually fairly well, but everything seemed critical. You know, everything, every decision, I felt like, oh my gosh. Is this gonna be good or bad? So, you know, I did go out to eat more last year because there were more organized dinners. And this year, it just it just turned out super well. I mean, I was tired. I worked a lot of hours, but it wasn't. I wasn't so incredibly depleted like I was last year. Yeah. Ain't that interesting? Yeah. I love that. And the fact that you weren't running on cortisol and the next emergency. Yeah. Exactly. Yeah. And and another thing, this is kind of an aside, but I've decided for me that even though I do drink cup of coffee in the morning, I don't ever drink full strength caffeine. I'd I start with half calf. I have a cup of half calf and then I switch to decaf because that really like, a lot of bolus of caffeine spikes my heart rate and my anxiety, and so I just avoided it. That's interesting. I think I over caffeinated our church serves coffee, and I had one more when we got to church today, and I was like I felt hot and jittery. I think that I was over caffeinated. Okay. I'm switching to decaf next Sunday. Well, that's what I do, and I discovered it at home, but I just kept that practice when I was in Chicago, and it really worked because the whole time I had enough energy. Of course, I was taking my b vitamins. I took my, magnesium at night, night, so I was sleeping pretty well. But, again, that worry was absent, so I actually could sleep. I wasn't waking up in the night with a jolt of, you know, cortisol saying, oh my gosh. What's gonna go wrong today? Okay. So what you're saying is you invested in your health because you treasure it. Yes. Yes. Absolutely. But in mental acuity and work are on my list of treasures. Like, I love challenging work, but in order to be mentally acute, I have discovered, a, I need to decrease my caffeine, b, it's better for me to not eat out every meal and actually go to the grocery store, and c, I've got to let some, you know, what go. Like, I've got to trust the process of the people around me, and it's been a game changer. Yeah. And that's awesome that you can travel and still keep on track if you will. Yeah. Yeah. But on track is still a judgment, so I don't I don't know if that's the right way to say it. Well, I agree, but, you know, I looked at it like feeling more myself, feeling normal, not out of whack, because I know the difference. Just like you you were saying, you know what it feels like to be unhealthy. My unhealth is maybe a little bit different, but I do I do recognize what that feels like. I love that. That's great. Okay. So are there anything else on your treasure list? What do you Yeah. Actually, there is. There's a couple well, actually, there's 3 I wanna bring up. 1 is travel and experiences. I think we've talked about this before, Cam, that people are in acquisition mode when they're young. You know, they want the house and the the car, the whatever. And I'm all about experiences now. I mean, you know, I need a car that runs. I mean, okay. But the experiences and the the next one is rest. You know? Rest is super important. And even before I met you, I wouldn't have recognized the value of rest. Yeah. Because did we judge ourselves that we're lazy or x y z? I know I know. I did. Yeah. 100%. Oh, you're lazy and, like, negative self talk, which is just ridiculous. I know now that I am a better human when I am rested, and I have gap between my things. Like, I I I do bunch my, like, errands together for sure. Like, I think that makes a lot of sense so you're not running all over town every single day, like, bunch them together. But also, I really like margin, like, space between events. It makes my brain work better. I don't like rushing from one thing to another. Yeah. I agree with you. That mental acuity, that's one of my treasures. I think that's important. And it's different now than it was 10 or 15 years ago. I I'm not sure if I would have functioned better if I had rested more back then because that ship has sailed. Like, I can't have any way of knowing that. But rest is just a vital pillar of health now for me, and I definitely think it's taken me a very long time to get there. But it is a game changer. And rest as in inactivity or at least low impact activity, but also sleep. And I think, you know, for me, rest and sleep aren't exactly the same thing, but they they do have similar recuperative effects. I agree. Yeah. I don't think we're meant to go go go. I really don't. And so when you have space, I do agree on the sleep and and also it takes a while to figure it out for yourself. You know, we've talked about you search different episodes, but when you figure out the recipe, if you will, for you, it's so worth it. And even then, you'll have a night or 2. They're like, what the heck happened? Like, why why was my sleep junky that night? So if you stay curious, you can kinda start to put the puzzle pieces together and say, oh, I see. When I do x, that happens. Well, and one of those things for me came in, we've I think within the last couple of months, we've talked about alcohol. I miss wine. I don't occasionally, I will indulge. But, like, on this trip, the very last day when we were complete and all we had to do was, like, you know, clean up and then leave the next day. I was like, man, a glass of wine sure would be good. But I refrained only because I thought I still really wanna sleep well tonight. I still got to get up the morning. I got a plane to catch. I got to manage all of these things. So that's a that's a slippery slope for me, not because I'll overindulge, but because I enjoy it. But it has, an exact reverse effect on me in certain situations, and that's just something I need to recognize. Yeah. That's good that you recognize that. I'm just not there yet. I don't know if I ever will be. So that's the truth. So when when I got home you know, when I actually did get home and my husband picked me up from the airport, we did go out to eat. It was literally, like, the first hot meal I've had since I left because I kept eating salads and stuff from the grocery store. But, I did have a cocktail, and it was delicious and I enjoyed it. You know, I was with him and I felt safe. So I didn't worry about so much because I there was nothing else on my plate that could, you know, affect my sleep. So I didn't it it was fine. But, you know, that's like, for me, alcohol is maybe once every 2 or 3 months kinda thing. Mhmm. But that's okay. Let's go back to travel and experiences because I 100% agree with you. I'd rather spend my time, energy, money, resources on travel experiences than a thing, that you have to figure out where to put in your house some some other time. Yeah. I mean, you know, I've saved my money, and we've been some cool places and have some cool places to go. It's not a matter of status, though, and I think some people, like, acquire whether it's the experience or the thing for the status. It's about the experience. And I I hope people will be honest with themselves about why they want to do things. Mhmm. One of the other things that's on my list that I'm a little bit embarrassed to say is I like nice things. So, you know, I think we've probably talked about this in one forum or another, but sheets, towel, and underwear, I'd I'm not buying my sheets, towels, and underwear at Walmart. I'm sorry. Like, I want the nice stuff. Mhmm. So, you know, whether it's like if you if you do work out a lot, I do like nice workout clothes. But I do have friends and acquaintances who'd rather have a bunch of stuff and be it's almost disposable, but I'm not like that. So value for me, Cam, I'm willing to spend more on something that I'm going to keep for 10 years. I like that. And, also, you have toe, toe cleavage shoes. Yeah. I do I do like my toe cleavage. But yeah. Vest and shoes. Yeah. They're they're an investment. And, you know, like, again, going back to my mother-in-law because I talk to her about every day. One of the things we've discovered is that she has, I think, I'm not lying here, I think 48 brass candlesticks. I don't know who needs 48 brass candlesticks, but she values that. And I'm like, that is crazy. So, you know, like, my mother also has a beautiful home and has very nice furniture. That is not how I've chosen to invest. But, you know, if you do, I think that's great. You just have different values, and I think that that makes us all beautiful and wonderful and different. Yeah. For me, a value is my home. I do like to be at home, and I also, like, don't like clutter. So right now, my desk I'm at my desk and, you know, there's a little of extra things out right now, but I value the way it looks and it feels. So when I walk into a room, I can feel the energy of the room, like light is really important. So that is, I would say, I invest in making sure that is because I like it. It makes me feel good anyway. And I love that. But when we talked about treasures earlier, that word being a trigger, because of the way it was used in your teaching days, Does desiring nice things bring on any guilt for you? Do you think, oh, I should give that money to the poor or anything like that? Is there any of that going on because of the Catholic? No. Okay. Yeah. I just I I you know, Amazon does not need to come to my house every day. Like I love it. That's true. Yeah. It just doesn't. I don't I like what I have. I also invest in things that I think are higher quality, so I don't have to it's not disposable. Like, I agree with you on that, but I like my physical environment to feel and look a certain way. I love that, and I think there's so much value. I've read so many things about that. I probably should invest more time and effort in my physical environment for that exact reason. But there is a connection between a clean or uncluttered, I won't say clean, uncluttered environment and an uncluttered space of your mind. I mean, I believe that there's an actual connection there. 100%. When we moved in April and we saw our boxes, I could feel my energy getting sucked away from those boxes that were unpacked. And recently, I just redid my closet, which is my as I'm also in my office where my clothes are because whatever. But, and there's still a little pile that over here that you can't see right now, Amelia, that is sucking my energy away. So that has gotta be on my list today or this week. I'll let's say this week, not today. Because I can feel if if if you walk by an unfinished project in your house every single day and every single day you set you say, you know, or make some negative comment, like, really? You're taking your instant joy your immediate joy away every single time you walk by that unfinished thing. So I like to get those things cleaned up and get those things finished, and then I just feel happier. Yeah. And I love that because I think that sometimes we avoid those things that maybe we think are difficult and then we don't realize these micro assaults on our energy systems. And if we just do the thing you know, we've talked about that on our episodes where we've talked about exercise in good health. You know, you you do have to take action. I mean, you can have all the fancy workout clothes or the gear or whatever, but you have to actually do the thing. So I think there's something to be said about your surroundings with you gotta do the thing. Wait a minute. So wearing the clothes around town doesn't help? No. Not you might look super cute, but, no, it is actually not gonna do that much for your Okay. For your actual health. You gotta actually move your body, which, you know, that is that is a value. I mean, I think that's one of our commonalities as we get along so well because of that. Mhmm. I don't think I mentioned this. I kinda want to just do one more touch base on investments. Thought work for me is very important. Therapy, that includes therapy or reframing. Journaling, I think meditation could be there. I think that's it's an investment of time, but actually, again, doing the thing so that you have a a healthy mindset is really important. I would also put that on my investment and a treasure, so it's both. Yes. I agree. I think really the main point here is where do we spend our time, energy, resources? You know, that's our investment. Am I spending my time, energy, resources on things that truly matter? Am I spending my time, energy, resources on things that truly matter or am I wasting time? Am I the spinning wheel on your computer? Like, you know what? Exactly. And, you know, I I actually think when when you were saying that, Cam, I was thinking, you know, investing, I'll use air quotes there, when I'm watching Netflix. Sometimes that's part of the rest and recovery. So there are times when that's not a waste. Sometimes maybe it is, but being really intentional about that and understanding what your needs are and putting that energy there is wow, I can't even say how much of a game changer it is. Thanks for listening today. You can find us on Instagram at midlife.mama's. For all of our other contact info, check out the show description below, and we will talk to you next week.

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