In the end only kindness matters...

In today's culture, people are obsessed with everything shiny and new. Every six months when Apple announces a new version of the iPhone, people line up outside stores like crack addicts waiting for a fix, paying huge sums of money for the latest model. Why? I will never understand this phenomenon, but Apple is a master of branding and creating hysteria for its products. I'm a creature of habit and keep things until they completely wear out. Mostly because I'm too cheap to continually pay for superficial items. This includes all cars I've owned, clothes, purses, etc. I drove my Honda Prelude for 15 years before I sold it. I would rather spend money on travels.

As a child, my parents always took me to antique shops, which completely bored me. I could not understand the appeal of such things. However, recently I've learned to appreciate their value and can get lost in these shops for hours. I first experienced antique euphoria in the Amish community of Lancaster, Pennsylvania. Huge warehouses there filled with treasures and collectibles from all eras. Some reasonably priced, some very expensive. When I recently wrote about Syria, Virginia, I forgot to include photos from a local antique store.( Take a look inside... )