Recap:

Fulbright in Indonesia ended in September 2018
Vietnam in October - December 2018
Houston/New Orleans for Christmas and a wedding January 2019
Wyoming in February 2019

I always wonder what is it about Wyoming that always draws me back. [aside from my family] If you’ve ever been to Wyoming, you’d be in awe of the stunning natural beauty and open spaces. For me, it’s been a place where I can live [semi] distraction free to grow and discover my own voice. It’s been a place where I can pause and focus on being a human being [not a human-doing].

“Honor the space between no longer and not yet”

— NANCY LEVIN

I read Marie Kondo’s The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up when I was in Indonesia and overwhelmed with the amount of “things” I packed for a year long research trip. I justified it with the notion that about every 4 months I moved to a new city. Each city needed different clothes. Like, in the city of Semarang I needed formal business casual clothes because I was going to a University campus everyday. In Wakatobi, I needed long pants and scuba gear. In Salatiga, I needed rain season clothes and I could wear shorts!

Fast forward to February 2019, Marie Kondo swept the nation thanks to her Netflix special. I was inspired to finally commit to tidying up because I’d been living out of suitcases for over a year and the majority of my possessions were in storage. It was time to unpack and process the past.

Marie Kondo-ing my life: Dicard piles

Mistake #1 - I did not have the book to reference the process. I thought i could get away with just the tips I could find online and the advice/tips from her show. I did notice she skipped a new steps in the episodes. I knew the general Clothes, Books, Papers, & Komodo. I didn’t know if shoes and accessories were part of clothes and what order within the order of clothes. The first episode Marie said that there was no need to take out scarves because they were accessories when they were piling clothes on the bed. So, I came up with my own order and failed twice!

Mistake #2 - Three months after going through the tidying process. I still have urges to search the clearance sections at my local Target, but I have significantly decreased the amount I spent every month on buying things “just in case”. I’m spending more time learning how to invest and save money rather than spend it. I enjoy looking at the high numbers in my bank account. (lawd knows it use to be no more than 100 bucks in the bank account a month)

MORE TIME! I’ve read at least 5 books, learned how to invest, opened an IRA account for me and the family, found/ working 2 jobs….

I don’t feel like I’m wasting time and money anymore.