little things

Being down with the colds is never fun, but a bit more bearable when someone cute unexpectedly brings you piping hot Kozui's minced spinach soup complete with soft tofu, kani crab, rice noodles, onions, cucumber, shiitake mushrooms, and egg.

Thank you, punk :)

downsizing a life (another audit)

The 78-year-old parents of the former editor of Domino Magazine have decided to prepare for their death by downsizing from a typical suburban home into a small apartment in New York City.





Read the story here.

A bigger home - while great for raising kids - tends to be a magnet for things you realize you don't really need. It took them 78 years to figure this out. (Having kids really does make like much more complicated).

Thank heavens I intend to be child-free. That gives me the freedom NOT to upsize.

* * * *

This got me thinking. Will all the "valuable" things I own fit into one big box?

By "valuable," I mean things I can no longer replace because (a) they're not available anymore (b) they were given to me by very special people, or (c) they're really of superb quality.

Everything else - although necessary, like the French Press I use to make coffee or my beloved bed - can be bought from a store anytime, making them less valuable.

Ayt. Let's do an audit:





Valuable clothes/shoes/bags:

• Valentino coat (in classic red - designed before Valentino retired)
• Chanel dress (little black dress)
  
• Cashmere Ralph Lauren sweater in cream (good-ply cashmere is always valuable)
• Cashmere and silk blend MiuMiu cardigan in dark blue (great for travel)
  
• Gucci heels (3-inch high)
• Prada driving loafers
• Pucci hand-painted flats
• Kate Spade pink suede flats
• Balenciaga heels in gray and black (bought memorably in Madrid)
• Prada turchese bag
• Dior doctor's bag (part of luggage, now vintage)
• Fendi handbag
• Ferragamo clutch
• Hermes fourre tout bag (for grocery shopping)
• Gucci abbey bag (folds small)
• Prada powder blue mini messenger bag for holding passports and money during travel
• Fino travel bag with all the stickers of places I've been to (irreplaceable because of sentimental value)

Valuable jewelry:

• Tiffany celebration ring (someone loved me enough to give me this - it's the price of a car!)
• Inherited coins (to remind me of my heritage)
  
• Inherited jewelry (I want to reset them someday, make them more current)
  
• Pendant from Granada, Spain (gifted to me)
  

Etc:

• My mom's one and only artwork (for obvious reasons)
  
• DVDs (mostly indie films that are no longer available)
• Travel books (they have my handwritten travel notes)
  
  

So technically, if I fold the bags strategically, I can fit everything valuable into one big box. It will be a heavy box, but it will be just ONE box.

That's always nice to know.