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This is mp.rs. LifeKit. I'm Deepa Motesham.

When hosting a gathering, you have to think about a lot.

Cleaning the house, buying enough food, getting a playlist together,

and while that's all important, it's kind of a distraction for why you're gathering in the first place.

We spend too much thinking about how to create this incredible food

and then think, oh, I can't do that so I can't host.

If you are like that, you can still absolutely host and host in amazing ways

where the meaning comes through how you connect people, through the conversations that you have,

through the questions that you ask.

That's Priya Parker. She's the author of The Art of Gathering.

This is a deeply democratic, accessible practice because I believe anyone can host.

You don't need a fancy house. You don't need a lot of money.

You don't need to be raised in a specific way.

You need to want to bring people together for a need that you have and treat them well.

...