Getting past the Flaws, Sometimes Vintage has Character

Do you always have to buy new?  I confess, I used to. The idea of owning something someone else once owned kinda freaked me out. The story of where it had been led my imagination to its darkest corners, spooky dank smoke filled rooms, musty dives, homes where the dead lay for days until some snoopy neighbor discovered them. I imagined that bringing these once owned pieces into my home would invite the spirits of their previous owners with them and I would have to deal with and eventually kick their proverbial haunted asses back to where they belonged,  I mean help them move on. 

We've already established my patience, at times, is not my strongest suit, but then again, reading this might lead you to believe that neither is sanity. Helping the dead, would probably be a tough gig for me is I ran into a stubborn one.

Well, as I become a living breathing representation of vintage myself, I have discovered an new appreciation and fondness for the antique and pre-owned abundance around us.

Chips and cracks, scratches and dents, as long as they don't take away from the overall form and function, can contribute to the character and story of the item. A beautiful lamp or vase or bowl from the depression era can be stunning. That shawl or pashmina your grandmother wore, has an artistry and beauty in its craftsmanship that can't be found in today's made in China clothes market.

Like those small ornamental pieces I am finding myself drawn to, I too am full of flaws and signs of my age as the years go by. My hands are aging, no longer the soft smooth skin of a young woman but thinning and beginning to show signs of wrinkles.  So too are my neck, and cleavage. I fight the gray with Clairol by my side, and my health is now high on my list of priorities. I have scratches and dents, dings and nicks, just like the pieces I find to adorn my shelves. All I can hope is that my children and my friends can embrace and appreciate me as much as I have learned to appreciate the inanimate vintage I once deplored and feared.

I realize now, that not all stories are ghost stories. Some stories are sweet. Some are sad. Some are inspirational. Some are empty. But in the end, our objects just move on to someone else, and all we can wish for is that someone will find a place for them.  As for us, we too move on, and if we are lucky we will find a place in the hearts of those who loved us best.  In the meantime, we should live well, and love better. Embrace the vintage, be vintage, show your character, wear your flaws with pride.