Photo by Kaitlyn Huff, Huff Photography
OVER THE course of my life, I’ve learned that it’s far easier to accumulate possessions than it is to dispose of them. Around eight years ago, I felt motivated to do a grand purge of unwanted belongings and picked up Marie Kondo’s guidebook to decluttering, The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up—which made me want to throw away everything in my house. I set about clearing closets, cupboards, and plastic totes of anything that didn’t spark the requisite joy Kondo suggested, cursing the author as I created Poshmark postings for clothing and accessories, transported home furnishings to a consignment shop, and waited in a long line of cars at ToxDrop. In the end, I felt satisfied that I had lightened my load in mostly eco-friendly ways. But I sure could have used a resource like this issue’s cover package, our localized handbook to help you dispense with nearly anything that no longer serves a useful purpose.
Continuing our theme of organization, we’ve done a little housekeeping in the back of the book this month. We streamlined our Restaurant Guide, sorting entries alphabetically rather than by geography. We also introduce a new element: a few “Small Bites” sprinkled throughout the list to give readers some newsy dining tidbits.
With the advent of a new year, we include salutes to both time-honored and novel attractions in this edition. In January, The Children’s Museum of Indianapolis kicks off a yearlong celebration commemorating its 100th birthday. At the same time, the Indy Ignite women’s pro volleyball team sets up for its inaugural season at the Fishers Event Center with a roster of fresh talent. We predict both of these organizations will spark a great measure of joy in 2025.
