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KonMari and that one last box. Sorting through sentimental items using the konmari method for tidying based on Marie Kondo's The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up.
September 5, 2018
in 40×40 List, Apartment, KonMari

KonMari and that one last box.

"No matter how wonderful things used to be, we cannot live in the past. The joy and excitement we feel here and now are more important." On Sunday, Facebook memories reminded me that it was a year ago since I had read The Life-Changing Magic of...

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Two months after I finished KonMari-ing my apartment I still fold my socks. And underwear. But you don't need to see my underwear.
November 26, 2017
in 40×40 List, Apartment, KonMari

Does the KonMari method actually work?

It's been about two months since I "finished" KonMari-ing my apartment. I put finished in quotes here because I'm technically not all the way through with my tidying. I still have a shelf full of photo albums and other mementos that I am getting through....

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BEFORE Stack of all my papers ready to be KonMari-ed
September 20, 2017
in 40×40 List, Apartment, KonMari

I don’t have to do this.

"I don't have to do this!" I yelled at the box. And, it's true, I don't have to do this. I don't have to clean my apartment. I don't have to organize everything I own. I don't have to throw anything away. I don't have to...

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AFTER I don't think KonMari takes into account people who exclusively wear fuzzy rainbow socks but my sock drawer is now more organized than anything I've ever organized before in my life.
September 6, 2017
in 40×40 List, Apartment, Bedroom, Hallway, KonMari, Living Room

On KonMari, Clothes, and Cleaning Up.

I spend my entire life cleaning. OK, maybe that's an overstatement. But, no, I spend my entire life cleaning. Or, at least, thinking that maybe I should clean. There's always laundry that somehow gathers in a pile next to the hamper. There's always a sink...

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Life List #187: Get a fig tattoo. (Inspired by Sylvia Plath's The Bell Jar.) | Tine DeFiore — Black Oak Tattoo
May 22, 2017
in 40×40 List, figs, Life List, tattoos

Life List #187: Get a fig tattoo. (Inspired by Sylvia Plath’s The Bell Jar.)

I don't remember the first time I read Sylvia Plath's The Bell Jar. It was in my adult life, that I know, well past high school, years past college. Maybe even after grad school. I don't remember why I chose to read that particular novel....

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Swallow tattoo - in traditional sailor tattoos the swallow represented how far he'd traveled and that he'd always find his way home.
November 21, 2016
in 40×40 List, Chicago Life, goals, Life List, tattoos

Do the things you always say you’re going to do.

I've been on this kick lately to do the things I always say I'm going to do. You know those things. Maybe you were watching an improv show once and thought to yourself, "this is so much fun, I wish I could be up there." Or maybe...

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HOPE Outdoor Gallery in Austin, Texas.
September 6, 2016
in 40×40 List, Austin, North America, Texas, travel, United States

On Austin. And hope. (HOPE Outdoor Gallery in Austin, Texas.)

A few weeks ago, I had a day. A day where I was both upset over something and excited about something and my emotions were all over the place. And all I kept thinking, all that day, was, "I need change." "I need to make my...

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Brisket plate with jalapeno cheese grits and campfire chili beans at Micklethwait Craft Meats food truck in Austin, Texas.
August 29, 2016
in 40×40 List, Austin, food, North America, Texas, travel, United States

Life List #216: Eat everything in Austin, Texas.

I had but one goal for my four-night vacation in Austin, Texas: eat everything. Austin's food scene excited me. The city is probably best known for tacos and Tex-Mex and barbecue. And who wouldn't be excited for tacos and Tex-Mex and barbecue? But it...

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40x40: Forty things to do before forty.
January 21, 2016
in 40×40 List, Life List

40×40: Forty things to do before forty.

It came to me while doing my yearly binge watch of My So-Called Life: I'm almost as old as Patty Chase. Let's let this sink in for a moment. I'm almost as old as Patty Chase. Have you never seen My So-Called Life? I don't know if...

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Hi, I’m Val. I spent most of my 20s in a standstill, unable to pick which path in life I wanted to take. I wanted the nomadic life of a traveler but also wanted the husband, the condo, and the teal couch. Unable to decide which life I wanted more, I did nothing. I lived my life in limbo. When I turned 30 I’d had enough of putting my life on hold and decided to start “choosing my figs.” So, I quit my job and bought a one-way ticket to Europe. After 3 years on the road I’m back in Chicago, exploring the city, learning guitar, decorating my apartment in too much teal, cuddling my cats, and planning my next adventures.

            

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2006 –

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WHAT DO YOU WANT TO DO IN YOUR LIFE?


Feeling stuck? Sick of living your life in limbo? Want to finally do all those things you always say you're going to do? Sign up for the Choosing Figs newsletter now to get a FREE e-book with tips on starting your own life list, inspiration for things to do in life, and worksheets to get your life goals out of your head and into action!


Your information will be used to send you our Life List e-book and subscribe you to our bi-monthly newsletter. View our full Privacy Policy.



            


MEOW | Is Val in Chicago?