Antique People…

     Antique stores are fun… I don’t know much about authenticity or values – my interest lies in the history, in the uniqueness, in the beauty (and a good deal of course)…

Actually I do cringe a little when I see things I had as a little girl or as a young woman proudly displayed in an antique store – ummm, gulp, do I say “Oh I had those dolls, lunch pails, glassware when I was little?” or do I say “Wow look at these old things, I’m sure somebody thought they were cool back in the day.” Depends on if the person I’m with is 20 something or 50+ something…

Once when I visited my mom I went in the kitchen to find her with a blow pop sucker in her mouth rummaging through the cabinet to find more snacks. I couldn’t help but laugh, for the moment all the wrinkles betraying her age were missing and all I saw was a little girl getting her sugar fix… She reminded me of the little wooden figurine I saw once that had a caption painted on the bottom of her dress: ‘Grandmas are just antique little girls…’

I think if I were to collect ‘antiques’ I would prefer people – people who have the lines to show the wear and tear, the memories to share, the wisdom to make a difference, the perspective of time… Antique people show this life can be survived, can tell stories that mesmerize, offer advice that’s solid, and can make today (and tomorrow – and yesterday) have the right importance…

So perhaps a visit a week with someone who doesn’t have a lot of others like them left around, you know a real antique with real value because its getting rarer by the day – maybe that’s the antiques we should wander around a few hours admiring…