life changing magic

viva · 08-09-16 00:37:11

so I've been moving house lately.. which has been a lot of stress and fun and anxiety and ultimately a lot of reward! I'm finally settled in my new place and it's way better than my old one! I'm way closer to work, rent is cheap, and I miss my basement suite, but now I feel much more like I live in a real bedroom. And my roommates are really sweet nerdy types who think the way I sing in the shower is amazing. I feel loved. I painted my new room pale yellow with creamy white trim - in fact, the paint colours are called "butter churn" and "whipped cream" - so I basically painted myself a cake.

at the same time, I've been filming a diary... so like, just imagine this scene:

but with a very lusty paint-covered viva splayed out into the middle of it - ha! Its been really fun.

Here's how it turned out! I think it's really beautiful...

and my room, the first night I moved in <3 Since then I painted an ugly black curtain rod gold, and hung some beautiful curtains... I'm getting better at this life-on-my-own stuff.

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One thing that's been hard for me without my partner - my ex was so good at organizing and storage! He always just did something with all of our stuff - bundled it, folded it, put it up in high places - and I never needed to concern myself with any of it. When it was time to move, I stressed and freaked out, while he just packed everything, moved it, and unpacked it. Because before I met him, I was 23, I was a scrappy little vagabond, everything I owned fit into a little backpack. Now, I'm single again, but I don't want to fit back into a backpack. I want a full life, with the treasured objects that go with it....

but it's not easy. I feel small and I feel anxious when I have more things than I can carry by myself. Needing people when they're not my partner is really scary. A few months ago, my dad came to town and he helped me buy a mattress. This makes me so happy because before I was sleeping on the floor on a bed roll, but it also scared me because I can't carry a mattress.

so when I had to move - our whole household got a 90-day eviction notice, as the landlady decided to renovate and sell - I felt really panicked. But I work in a bookstore and everyone has been all about this book, called "the life-changing magic of tidying up" by Marie Kondo. She's a Japanese woman that's obsessed with organising. When it came time to pack my things, I got her book.

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Have you guys heard of it? Her basic premise is all about loving each object you own, and not "getting rid" of things, but rather, actively keeping things. This process, and her guide about how to then store and fold items, is referred to as "KonMari" and it has a lot of devotees!

Now I'm one of them I love connecting to each and every thing I own, and letting things go which no longer spark joy for me. When you let something go, you thank it, and say goodbye. I loved doing this process! and when I was finished, because I'm a little crazy, I arranged everything I decided to keep, before packing it into its right place for moving.

So these are all my things!

I am really proud of them.

Do you guys like to have an intimate relationship with the things you own and buy?

ThatIndividual · 08-09-16 02:27:53

I need that book, it sounds very good. I'm definitely over attached to my things - something I plan on working on too. It looks like a nice place! I hope you feel more comfortable/less "vagabond-y". I feel similarly concerned at the thought of having to move too now that my inventory has increased a bit. For instance, I used to only have collapsable tables but now I've got the real thing. It is what it is though. I've got to live and be comfortable.

Nice top there Viva!

viva · 08-09-16 08:41:00

really, get the book! it's really popular at the moment - it's been on our best seller shelf for ages! it's so easy to read and easy to put into action - super inspiring. The thing I like about this book is, it doesn't discourage attachment. We should be attached to our things, because they're things we chose and we ought to really love everything we own. If we don't really love it, it's ok to let go and say goodbye But yeah - as your domain grows, it's true that we will have heavier things - a beautiful new mattress and an antique bed frame are heavier than a camping bedroll, and high quality tables are heavier and harder to move than collapsible ones. you should be proud of your real tables! if we make sure that the things we do have are really really worth having, we can be perfectly happy just like that.

although I am on the other side of the fence - I don't have a lot - so I don't know what it would be like to have for example, a whole house worth of things... but I can dream!

also moving is okay if you have friends and/or family to share the burden. I realised this time that there's a huge difference between people helping - but ultimately it's "your" task to achieve - and actually feeling like you're on a team with a shared goal. So I really got vulnerable and put myself out there and really asked my friends to be on my team and help me move, from start to finish, like it was a project we were all invested in. I felt super supported and provided lots of fancy bread and cheese and good beer and champagne when we finished, and it was fun instead of awful

privignus · 18-09-16 17:48:28

Thanks for the story of your move.

viva · 20-09-16 09:18:08

ahhh I'm almost all settled in and I adore my new place! they have a ps4 and I got to play a game called Journey and its so beautiful.

viva · 20-09-16 09:47:01

also i got a few screenshots from the diary i'm working on....

aven frey · 21-09-16 01:22:54

ohh, so excite! Send to me!!!!!!

viva · 22-09-16 04:31:57

I will soon! I'm on a journey of reconnecting with my sexuality in a new way and I'm attempting to document it... who knows if i'll be successful

Orgasm86 · 23-09-16 00:21:47

Your new digs look very cozy! Also, new diary hype! Woo!

#1 08-09-16 00:37:11

life changing magic

#2 08-09-16 02:27:53

Re: life changing magic

#3 08-09-16 08:41:00

Re: life changing magic

#4 18-09-16 17:48:28

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#5 20-09-16 09:18:08

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#6 20-09-16 09:47:01

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#7 21-09-16 01:22:54

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#8 22-09-16 04:31:57

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#9 23-09-16 00:21:47

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