MORE THAN JUST A PRETTY VINTAGE FACE

With a new year come thoughts and reflections on where we are, where we’ve come from, and where we’re going.  While home life has remained relatively the same, given I have a child and my days revolve around homework, music lessons, water polo and scouting, I like looking back on the things I have done for me and how I’ve grown over the years.  And I’m more than just a pretty vintage face.

While my interest in vintage is a pretty long-standing one, it hasn’t always played the large role in my life that it does now.  It is natural that as we age, our interests will develop and sometimes change.  This doesn’t mean we are bad people or fickle. It just means we’re growing and evolving.  In my case, vintage has predominated in my 40s.  In my 20s, it was a very different story…

You could say I’ve gotten younger as I’ve gotten older as when I was younger I was more interested in everyday life from 600 years ago. Since college I was very active in a Middle Ages and Renaissance recreation group.  While buying a house and having a child redirected my energy available for the weekend, I still occasionally will go to a tournament and visit with friends. However, when I was very active, it was something that I did every weekend available, with sewing throughout the week.

Even while I was busy with the Renaissance, I also delved into many forms of ethnic dance.  In college I studied dance as part of my major and after trying many styles, developed a more pressing interest in Middle Eastern and flamenco. However, when I took Polynesian dance, it spoke to me.  I can’t explain how I knew it was the art form for me, but it moved me as no other form has to date.

Dancing in a company for 15 years, I studied Hawaiian, Tahitian and Maori dance. I was even asked to be my kumu hula’s alaka’i (rather like an assistant dance teacher), though I got immediately
pregnant (not because of being an alaka’i, obviously) and that curtailed hula. I still desperately miss it, but it isn’t in my cards for the foreseeable future. I guess that means I’ll have to just spend a lot more time in Hawaii to make up for it!

So Much More

I’ve leapt horses over fences riding English-style. I’m scuba certified for water, I’ve gone spelunking in underground caves and hiking in the forests.  Oh yes, I’ve canoed down a stream, while bending backwards, to avoid a cottonmouth snake in an overhead branch.  Bears I have chased a plenty. I’ve sprained my ankle in the Tower of London.  I was a cheerleader who braved crowds of thousands even though I’m an introvert. I’ve delighted in holding sparklers and watching fireworks set off in the backyard off of a country road.  I’m so much more than another vintage gal on the scene.

That’s me around 17 years ago in a vintage 40s evening gown.  This isn’t my first rodeo.  I’ve met the celebrated and well-known. I think visiting National Parks and monuments is one of the greatest gifts the American people have (I think last count I’ve visited 37). I sew, I dance, I play games, I cook, I garden, I mother, I nurture, I plan, and I dream. I’m more than just a pretty vintage face. But never fear.  This isn’t a farewell, I’ve-lost-my-interest-in-vintage, adieu.  Far from it.  I love my vintage life and will bore you with it for quite a while to come. But we are all more than we are in the moment. We have all evolved into who we are today. And I know my evolution won’t end any time soon.  I’m more than just a pretty vintage face today.  I will be even more tomorrow.

So with this New Year, say cheers to how you have grown over the years, honor your past, and celebrate your future. The year is only a couple of weeks old. Live it to its fullest!